Roadside bomb kills 15 civilians in central Afghanistan

Fifteen civilians have been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's central Daikundi province, an official said on Monday.

The victims were travelling in a mini-bus towards the centre of the province's Kijran district when the roadside device exploded along the way, provincial spokesman Gul Aqa Sajadi told dpa.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban has some level of influence in the district.

Two further people were wounded in the attack, local officials confirmed.

The attack comes as Afghanistan experiences a fresh wave of violence.

The United Nation's Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented at least 1,280 civilian deaths and 2,176 wounded in the first half of 2020.

The Taliban has repeatedly refused to a nationwide ceasefire despite ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks.

Afghan teams have not yet been able to finalize a negotiating method two weeks on from the start of talks in the Qatari capital Doha.