Homemade bomb kills 5 civilians in northeastern Afghanistan, 4 of them children

Bomb kills 5 Afghan civilians, including 4 kids

KABUL — A homemade bomb killed four children and a civilian adult in northeastern Afghanistan on Thursday, NATO forces said.

Meanwhile, a NATO service member died in a bomb strike in the south. The alliance did not provide the nationality of the person who died or further details.

There were also few details on the morning explosion in northeastern Kapisa province, north of the capital of Kabul. A NATO spokesman said it was unclear where the bomb had been planted, though he did confirm that no Afghan or international military forces were in the area of the blast.

International and Afghan troops evacuated at least three other children who were wounded in the explosion to military hospitals.

Roadside bombs are the leading killer of international troops in Afghanistan, but the homemade explosives planted by insurgents often kill civilians.

At least 2,412 civilians were killed in 2009 — a 14 percent increase from 2008, according to the United Nations. Nearly 70 percent of civilian deaths last year were caused by insurgents.