HERAT – A roadside bomb ripped through a crowded Afghan bus Wednesday, killing up to 25 civilians in a southwestern province on the Iranian border in one of the deadliest such attacks in months. The bomb exploded as the bus travelled on a highway through Nimroz province, provincial governor Ghulam Dastgir Azad and the interior ministry said. Afghan officials blamed the attack on the Taliban.

Azad said more than 20 civilians were killed in the blast. The interior ministry in Kabul put the death toll at 25, with more than 20 others injured. “The bomb was planted by the enemies because this morning a coalition convoy was supposed to cross the area,” Azad said, referring to NATO forces.

“Coalition forces helped us to evacuate the injured.” Afghan civilians are bearing the brunt of the war, suffering death and injury in crossfire, suicide attacks and from roadside bombs or improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which kill and maim indiscriminately.

Zabihullah Mujahed, a Taliban spokesman, called AFP from an unknown location to deny that the militant group was behind the bombing. Taliban are known for denying attacks involving civilian casualties and for rampant propaganda. “We are not responsible for this bombing. This is the work of the NATO.

They’ve done this in a bid to divert attentions from Sangin incident,” Mujahed told AFP, referring a rocket attack that killed 52 civilians last Friday.

Afghan authorities and NATO-led troops are investigating the incident in Helmand province’s Sangin district. NATO has denied involvement in the strike.

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