At least 15 civilians, including children and women, were killed when their crowded minivan struck a land mine in the restive province of Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban movement.
Also Saturday, two police officers were killed and eight others were injured when a mine detonated in the eastern province of Laghman, according to a statement issued from the Afghan Interior Ministry.
The death toll crept up again on Friday as three more American soldiers died - two from a roadside bomb - in the south of the country, Nato confirmed.\
June this year remains the deadliest month for international forces since 2001's US-led invasion of Afghanistan, with 102 service members killed, according to the independent iCasualties website.
The UN said "anti-government elements" were responsible for 82% of the 368 "conflict-related civilian deaths".
The news came as several deadly insurgent attacks killed at least 18 people, most of them civilians, in the volatile south and east of the country.
On Friday, one service member died in an insurgent attack and the two others in an improvised explosive device strike, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
Share This Story to Your Friends ---
