Roadside bomb kills eleven in Afghan northwest

A roadside bomb targeting police in rural northwestern Afghanistan killed at least nine members of an Afghan family and two policemen late on Monday, the Interior Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday.    

The family members killed included two women and six children who were riding in police vehicles when the bomb exploded in Badghis province, the spokesman said in a statement said. Several people were wounded.    

The attack occurred during the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. Police were helping the family of poor people by giving them a ride to the Qadis district's center when the bomb exploded.    

The Taliban did not immediately respond to queries on whether they were responsible.     

The bomb came a day after seven civilians were killed and 15 wounded when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near a mosque in Baghlan province in the north of the country.     

In a statement emailed on Friday, before the Eid holiday, the Taliban reiterated their threats against foreign troops but said insurgents should try to avoid killing civilians.    

-Reuters