Afghan family of 4 killed in Kandahar explosion

Four civilians were killed Wednesday in a blast in southern Afghan province of Kandahar, said a district governor. "A couple along with two kids were killed when their tricycle set off an improvised explosive device (IED) in a road in Panjwai district at around midday," governor Fazil Mohammad Isaqzai told Xinhua. The official blamed the Taliban insurgent group for planting the IED in the province which is a known Taliban hotbed. Afghan Taliban has launched massive IED attacks against Afghan national security forces and the NATO-led troops in recent years but the lethal weapon also claimed the lives of civilians. About 1,320 civilians were killed and 2,533 injured in conflict- related violence in the first half of the year, according to a UN report issued July in Kabul. Out of total fatalities, up to 443 civilians were killed and 917 wounded in IED blasts across the country, according to the report.