Roadside bomb kills 13 Afghan civilians: officials

KANDAHAR: A roadside bomb killed 13 civilians travelling in a pick-up truck in a volatile district of southern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said, in the first major incident since elections two days ago.

Taliban militants had vowed to target voters, candidates and officials at the presidential elections, but there were no large-scale attacks on polling day on Saturday.

"A civilian vehicle hit a roadside bomb on the outskirts of Maiwand district," Kandahar provincial police spokesperson Ghorzang Afridi told AFP. "As a result of the blast, 13 civilians were killed, all men.

"Five others were wounded, among them one woman and some children."

The truck was travelling from a remote village to Kandahar city when it hit the explosive.

Roadside bombs are a common weapon used by the Taliban, though attacks that kill civilians often go unclaimed and there was no immediate claim of responsibility from the insurgents.

The election will end 13 years of rule by President Hamid Karzai, who has held power since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.

Preliminary results are due on April 24.

Afghans have taken over responsibility for security from US-led forces, and this year the last of the NATO coalition's 51,000 combat troops will pull out.