Seven civilians were killed as a mine struck their vehicle in Zabul province 340 km south of capital city Kabul on late Thursday night, spokesman for provincial administration Mohammad Jan Rasoulyar said Friday.
"All the victims were drivers rounded up by Taliban militants Thursday afternoon from different vehicles on charge of serving government and NATO-led troops and sent them back by one car late Thursday night but the car ran over a mine leaving all seven dead, " Rasoulyar told Xinhua.
The victims, he added, were drivers of different civilian vehicles roaming on the roads between Zabul and Kandahar provinces, but the Taliban militants stopped their vehicles Thursday afternoon in Charahi village of Deh Chopan district and took them to unknown place for interrogation.
"In late Thursday night, the Taliban insurgents sent them back to Charahi village on a car but on the way the car hit a mine planted by militants leaving all the seven dead," Rasoulyar asserted.
Meantime, Qari Yusuf Ahmadi who claims to speak for Taliban outfit in talks with media via telephone from undisclosed location expressed ignorance over the claim, saying, "I have no information and Charahi village is not at the hand of Taliban."