12 killed in Afghan violence

Twelve people, including seven suspected militants, have been killed in a series of violent incidents in southern and eastern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday. In one incident, a border guard was killed in a bomb blast in the eastern province of Paktika, provincial governor Hamidullah Jwak said.
He added that seven suspected Taliban militants were later killed by security forces while allegedly planting bombs along a roadway. In the southern province of Zabul, a bomb exploded while a construction vehicle was passing, killing two engineers and their driver, local police said.