13 passengers killed in Afghanistan bus attack

Armed men have killed 13 passengers travelling on a bus towards southern Afghanistan, officials say, the latest attack to target civilians in the country’s conflict.

Tuesday’s killings in Wardak province, which lies close to the capital Kabul, highlighted Afghanistan’s fragile security situation as President Ashraf Ghani holds talks in Washington.

With the spring fighting season about to begin, Ghani has asked the US for “flexibility” as it pulls out its remaining 10,000 troops by the end of 2016.

Ataullah Khogyani, spokesperson for the provincial governor, told AFP a group of armed men opened fire on a bus in Wardak around 1am local time (9:30pm Nigeria time, Monday), killing 13 people including one woman.

The bus was heading for the southern city of Kandahar, once a bastion of the Taliban.

Mohammad Ali, the deputy governor of neighbouring Ghazni province, confirmed the incident, and said the attackers picked their victims and shot them one by one.

Both officials said the motive for the attack was still under investigation.