A roadside bomb struck a car with Afghan government employees in southern Zabul province on Thursday, killing the driver and four passengers, officials said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack though the provincial police spokesman, Mohammadullah Amiri, accused the Taliban of placing a mine on the road in the Shahr-e-Safa district that hit the car, which was completely destroyed in the explosion.
Last week, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a roadside bombing that killed two U.S. service members and wounded two others in southern Afghanistan.
The Taliban now control or hold sway over roughly half of Afghanistan. The militants continue to stage near-daily attacks targeting Afghan and U.S. forces, even as they hold peace talks with the U.S and have given the U.S. envoy a document outlining their offer for a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan. Scores of Afghan civilians have also been killed in the crossfire and by roadside bombs planted by militants.
