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Roadside bomb kills 9 civilians in northern Afghanistan

By Ruhullah Khapalwak, CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Roadside bomb has killed nine civilians, including five children
  • NEW: The attack happened in Faryab province, an area considered to be among the more stable areas
  • NEW: 1 NATO service member dies Saturday as a result of a non-battle related injury
  • The commandos land Friday night near two villages

Barg-I-Matal, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A roadside bomb has killed nine civilians, including five children in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province, an area often considered to be among the country's more stable regions.

The improvised explosive device detonated in the province's Qhormach District and wounded one other person, according to a statement Saturday by NATO commander Gen. John Allen, who condemned the attack along with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Afghanistan has seen a recent spike in civilian-related deaths mainly due to "the use of landmine-like pressure plate improvised explosive devices by anti-government elements," according to a U.N. report released in July.

The report identified the devices as the cause for 30% of all civilian killings, representing "the single largest killer of Afghan civilians in the first half of 2011."

Elsewhere in the country, one NATO service member died Saturday as a result of a non-battle related injury in eastern Afghanistan.

No other information was provided.

Meanwhile, Afghan commandos killed 15 militants in a raid that lasted five hours in the northeast part of the country, a district official said Saturday.

The commandos landed Friday night near two villages in Barg-i-Matal district, according to district chief Mavlavi Muhammad Ismail.

"Our security forces killed 15 militants and wounded 18 others, among these 18 wounded we have captured two Taliban," the chief said.

The two villages are a strong base for the Taliban, who recruit local residents to fight against the government. The recruited residents plan attacks throughout the district.

Militants fighting along the Taliban in Nuristan province include foreign nationals.

Among the 15 killed, eight were Punjabis, Ismail said.