Roadside blast in Afghanistan kills 6

Mazar-e-Sharif (Afghanist : Six civilians were killed and seven wounded in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan's Balkh province on Wednesday, an official said.

"The incident occurred in Quch Qazal village of Sholgara district in the morning when a vehicle touched off an improvised explosive device (IED) along a road," a provincial government spokesman told Xinhua news agency.

Officials blame Taliban militants for planting the IEDs in the district that has been the scene of heavy armed clashes earlier this year.

More than 1,690 civilians were killed and over 3,430 others injured in conflict-related incidents in the first half of the year in the war-torn country, according to figures released by the UN mission in the country.