Eight children among 15 civilians killed by mine in Afghanistan

Fifteen civilians, including eight children, were killed on Wednesday when their vehicle hit a land mine in northern Afghanistan, a government official said.

"At around 5 pm this evening a mine planted by the Taliban terrorists hit a civilian car ... killing 15 civilians and wounding two more," said Nasrat Rahimi, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Six women and a man were also among those killed in the blast, in Kunduz province, on the country's northern border with Tajikistan, Rahimi said.

There are regular clashes in the region between the Taliban insurgents and US -backed Afghan forces.

Insurgents attacked the provincial capital, also called Kunduz, in early September, but failed to capture it. The Taliban however briefly seized the city in September 2015.