Kabul, Sep 10 (IANS): Seven Afghan civilians were killed and 17 wounded Tuesday when a bus was struck by a roadside bomb in the country's eastern province of Ghazni, police said.

"A passenger bus was hit by a roadside bomb, causing a powerful explosion at around 7 a.m. local time."

"Seven passengers were killed and 17 were wounded, of which seven sustained serious injuries and are in critical conditions," Xinhua quoted deputy provincial police chief Assadullah Insafi as saying.

Three children were among those killed in the incident which took place in Muqur district, 120 km south of national capital Kabul, the police official added.

More than 40 people were on the bus, which was travelling from southern Kandahar province to Kabul, he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Taliban militants have been largely relying on roadside bombing and suicide attacks in fighting Afghan security forces and NATO-led troops based in Afghanistan.

More than 1,300 Afghan civilians were killed and over 2,500 injured in violence in the first half of this year, a 23 percent rise in overall civilian casualties compared to last year, according to a UN report released in Kabul in July.