19 January 2011 VOA News Afghan officials say a roadside bomb has exploded in the eastern part of the country, killing 13 civilians.
The Interior Ministry says women and children were among the victims of Wednesday's blast in Paktika province.
NATO officials and Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack. A NATO spokesman U.S. Rear Admiral Vic Beck called the roadside bombing a "despicable murder of innocent Afghan civilians."
In other violence, Afghan officials said 12 militants were killed when bombs they were making exploded in northwest Afghanistan.
Six other people were injured in the explosion in Faryab province, which borders Turkmenistan.