Afghan blast kills 13

Thirteen militiamen have been killed in a large explosion at an ammunition dump near Afghanistan's border with Uzbekistan.

At least 20 soldiers were wounded in the blast which happened on Sunday evening in Aqcha in north Afghanistan.

The 13 victims were soldiers loyal to a northern Afghan warlord, Abdul Rashid Dostum, a defence adviser to President Hamid Karzai.

Reports say the soldiers had been loading rockets and small arms onto trucks when some of them detonated, setting off others and destroying five trucks.

The weapons had been handed over by General Dostum's fighters as part of a drive to disarm factional fighters in the region.

General Dostum's spokesman, Faizullah Zaki, said the accident would not affect the process of disarmament.

"This was an unfortunate incident. We just have to be more careful in future," he said.

The injured were said to be in a serious condition.

The weapons are being collected as part of a local initiative to disarm thousands of militiamen in northern Afghanistan.