Wedding carnage in Afghan blast

An explosion has ripped through a bus carrying a wedding party in Afghanistan, killing at least 10 people, reports say.

Both the bride and the groom were among those killed by the blast, which also injured at least six other people.

The explosion, in the Spin Boldak area of Kandahar province, was blamed on either a mine or a roadside bomb.

A provincial police chief told the AFP news agency "enemies of Afghanistan" were responsible for the deaths.

Mutiullah Khan also said that children were thought to be among the dead.

"A roadside bomb exploded under a minibus carrying a bride and groom. Ten people including the bride and the groom were martyred," he said.

'Militants killed'

However, other reports from police chiefs in the Spin Boldak region suggested that 13 people were killed.

Wedding parties have been frequently caught up in the conflict in Afghanistan.

Several have been hit by US air strikes in cases of mistaken identity, the most recent just last month, when 47 people died in Nangahar province.

Levels of violence in Afghanistan have risen sharply in recent months as Taleban rebels fight coalition and Afghan forces.

In the latest fighting, US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan say that they have killed more than a dozen Taleban militants in the south of the country.

A coalition statement said an air strike was called in after the militants ambushed a patrol in Uruzgan province.

There were no casualties among Afghan or coalition troops, a military statement said.