At least 32 people were killed in western Afghanistan on Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb, a provincial official told Associated Press. However, TOLO News reported that 34 people had died.

The bus was on its way to Farah province from Herat province. Spokesperson of Farah province Mohibullah Mohib said that 15 people were severely injured in the incident and were in a critical condition, indicating that the toll could increase. “A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb,” Mohib had earlier told AFP.

There was no confirmation from the Taliban that it was behind the attack. Farooq Barakzai, a spokesperson for Farah’s governor, confirmed the toll, also warning that it may rise.

The blast came a day after the United Nations said civilians were being killed and wounded at a shocking level in Afghanistan’s war, despite efforts to end the nearly 18-year-old conflict. Casualties have dropped 27% in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year, but 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 injured.

The United Nations said efforts to reduce the violence was insufficient. The organisation said US and pro-government forces caused more civilian deaths than the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the second quarter. </s> At least eight Afghan civilians, including four children, have been killed in an attack in the western Farah Province, Afghan officials says, although it was immediately unclear whether they died in a military air strike or a roadside bomb blast.

Muhammad Naser Mehri, spokesman for the provincial governor, said on March 4 the incident late on March 3 was a roadside bomb explosion that took place in the Bala Buluk district.

But family members of the victims say they were hit by an air strike.

One resident, a 30-year-old mother of four named Salima, said two of her children were killed and a third wounded in an air strike.

Dawlat Waziri, a Defense Ministry spokesman, said an investigation of the incident was under way.

"We are aware of the allegations made by the local people, right now an investigation is going on into the incident in Farah," Waziri said.

At least 22 other people were wounded in the attack, according to local hospital officials.

Farah's Bala Buluk district has been the scene of several recent clashes between Afghan security forces and armed insurgents.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa </s> Dozens of passengers, mainly women and children, were killed in western Afghanistan on Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb.

A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a “Taliban roadside bomb” and at least 32 were killed and 17 wounded, said Muhibullah Muhib, the spokesman for Farah province.

All were civilians, mostly women and children, he said. Farooq Barakzai, a spokesman for Farah’s governor, confirmed the toll but warned it might rise higher.

No immediate confirmation from the Taliban was given that it was behind the blast. Taliban fighters operate in the region and frequently use roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces.

The blast came one day after the United Nations said civilians were being killed and wounded at a “shocking” level in Afghanistan’s war, despite a push to end the nearly 18-year-old conflict. </s> KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A civilian bus in western Afghanistan hit a roadside bomb early Wednesday, leaving at least 34 passengers dead and more than a dozen injured, Afghan officials said.

The attack, in the Balaboluk district of restive Farah Province, was the latest involving mass civilian casualties in a spiraling war that the United Nations says has killed nearly 1,400 civilians — as well as several thousand Afghan soldiers and Taliban fighters — so far this year alone.

Farooq Barakzai, a spokesman for Farah’s governor, said the bus had been traveling from Herat Province in the west to Kandahar in the south.

“The bus hit an improvised explosive device planted by the Taliban,” Mr. Barakzai said. “The dead and wounded have been shifted to Herat Province.”
According to provincial officials, at least eight people are killed and another 22 are injured by a roadside bomb in Farah Province. However, according to locals, the attack was actually an airstrike.