Roadside bomb kills eight Afghan soldiers

Kabul: A roadside bomb ripped through an Afghan army vehicle in southwestern Afghanistan on Sunday and killed eight soldiers, officials said.

The vehicle was hit in the Dilaram district of Farah province, said defence ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi.

Mohammad Sarwar Sebat, the governor of neighbouring Nimroz province, told media that the soldiers were transporting ammunition to Farah from their base in Nimroz when the blast struck them.

The governor said the remote-controlled bomb killed five soldiers and three officers.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but roadside bombs have been the weapon of choice for Taliban insurgents in their 12-year battle to topple the US-backed central government.

Afghan forces have been playing an increasing role in the fight against the Taliban as US-led Nato soldiers progressively pull out.

More than 50,000 Nato combat troops still in Afghanistan are due to leave by the end of the year, and will leave the huge task of providing security to local forces.