A roadside bombing hit the southern Afghan province in Helmand, killing eight civilians and injuring two others on Wednesday.

A roadside bombing hit the southern Afghan province in Helmand, killing eight civilians and injuring two others on Wednesday.

"Eight of our civilian compatriots, seven women and a man, were killed today when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb planted by the Taliban terrorists," the interior ministry said in a statement.

Two others, a woman and a man, were wounded in the attack in Musa Qala district, the statement added.

Roadside bombs, also known as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), are the deadliest insurgent weapon in Afghanistan both for the military and civilians.

The crude devices, often built on old ammunition, are planted by the side of roads to target NATO and Afghan troops, but they also kill civilians travelling on the same roads.