World

Photo: The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

An Afghan National policeman joins others for Friday prayers in a tent at their base in Marjah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan, Friday Oct 19, 2012. Afghanistan's police are routinely targeted by insurgent attacks in southern Afghanistan, one of the deadliest regions in the country. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

A roadside bomb tore through a minibus carrying people to a wedding celebration in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing at least 19 people and wounding 16, authorities said.

The blast underscored the heavy toll the war has taken on civilians who are frequently caught up in the fighting between insurgents and Afghan and foreign security forces.

The bus was taking guests to a wedding celebration in the Dawlat Abad district of the northern Balkh province, about 450 kilometres northwest of the capital, Kabul, police spokesman Shir Jan Durani said.

District police commander Bismullah Muslimyar gave the death toll and said six children and seven women were among those killed in the 6 a.m. blast. He said a police patrol had passed through the area during the night.

Muslimyar said the wedding had occurred Thursday, and the party was heading to the groom's home to congratulate the newlyweds according to tradition.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the attack.

"Planting a mine on a road used by civilians and the killing of innocent people represents hostility toward humanity," he said in a statement.