Deaths in Afghan roadside blast

Younus Rasuli, deputy governor of Farah province, said the bomb hit a bus as it was travelling to neighbouring Nimroz province.

All of the casualities were said to be civilians.

There was no immediately claim of responsibility, but similar incidents in the past have been blamed on Taliban fighters.

Bomb blasts usually target military convoys, but civilians are often killed instead.

According to a UN report, about 1,500 Afghan civilians have been killed in fighting in 2007.

Farah, which lies on the border with Iran, has seen a rise in attacks in recent months.

A soldier serving with the US-led coalition forces was killed in an operation there during the weekend.