9 members of family killed in Afghan roadside bomb

At least nine members of a family, who were heading to a wedding, were killed and another four injured when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb planted by suspected militants in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province on Thursday, officials said.

“Nine civilians, including six women and three children, were martyred and another four, including two women and a child, were injured,” Attaullah Khogyanai, spokesman for Nangarhar governor told Efe news.

The injured were also critical, he said.

All victims were members of the same family and were travelling in their pick-up truck to attend the wedding party when the vehicle was blown apart in Wazir-Tangi area of Khogyani district in the volatile eastern province.

The blast took place around 9 am.

Wazir-Tangi is one of the most restive areas of the district. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State militants have strong presence in eastern Afghanistan. The area is contested by the fighters of the two groups, battling each other in the region.

But no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The blast comes days after a teenage suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding on July 12, killing six people and injuring 20 others in Pachir-Aw-Agam district of Nangarhar province.