KABUL: At least 13 people killed and three more wounded in two separate land mine blasts in southern Kandahar province on Friday.

A spokesperson for the provincial governor Bahir Ahmad Ahmadi said that the first blast occurred at around 9 a.m in Patan Khel area in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar.

He said that 12 civilians were killed as their vehicle hit a roadside mine in the area. Meanwhile, a provincial council member said that nine of the victims were members of a family. The official said that another roadside bomb hit a Mazda at around noon in the same district.

Ahmadi further said that a person was killed and three more were wounded in the incident. Immediately no group yet takes responsibility for the attacks. This comes as violence has increased in the country despite efforts by the Afghan government to begin the peace negotiations.

Meanwhile, Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, on Thursday said: "he is confident that talks between Afghans will begin next week." NNI