Afghan roadside bombing kills nine

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 17 (UPI) -- A roadside bombing in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province Friday killed nine people, including five children, officials say.

The New York Times reported unidentified Afghan officials said those killed were traveling through the Spin Boldak district on their way to a southern Afghanistan religious shrine when the blast occurred.

The officials said the children killed in the blast ranged in age from 16 months to 6 years of age.

Two men and two women were also killed in the bombing, while hospital officials said the blast left two other civilians injured.

Gen. Abdul Raziq, a senior security official, has blamed the Taliban for the deadly bombing despite the fact the militant group has not claimed responsibility for the incident, the Times reported.

Also Friday, the British Defense Ministry reported a soldier was killed on Thursday during a foot patrol near Gereshk in Helmand province. He was the 16th Briton killed in Afghanistan this month and the 185th in all.