Roadside bomb kills 13 Afghan civilians

KABUL: Thirteen Afghan civilians, including children, were killed and 33 injured when the passenger bus was hit by a roadside bomb Thursday in western Afghanistan, police said Friday.

The bomb Khash Rod district of western province of Nimroz had been planted by the Taliban, according to provincial police chief Abdul Jabar Purdel.

Violence across Afghanistan in 2010 reached its lowest level since the Taliban were toppled by US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001. It broke out again since the Taliban began their spring offensive in early May

Military deaths hit record levels in 2010 - and follow the same trend this year - but civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict. May is the deadliest month for civilians in Afghanistan since the UN mission began compiling statistics four years ago.