This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23176817

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Girls killed in Afghan roadside blast Top Afghanistan female police officer killed
(about 5 hours later)
At least four girls have been killed by a roadside blast in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, officials say. A top female police officer has been shot dead in Afghanistan's Helmand province, officials say.
The girls, said to be aged between seven and 12, were attending a wedding and had gone to collect water from a stream when the explosives detonated. Lt Islam Bibi was ambushed by unknown attackers as she left her home in the provincial capital, Lashkar Gah, a spokesman for Helmand police said.
Afghan forces have taken over security responsibility, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are one of their biggest challenges. The commander of 32 female police officers, Lt Bibi, 37, was known as a role model for other women in the conservative province.
Her death came as four girls were also killed in a roadside blast in Helmand.
Lt Bibi was on a motorbike alongside her son-in-law when she was wounded in the gun attack. She later died in hospital, officials say.
Like most Afghan women in rural areas of Afghanistan, Lt Bibi had struggled to work outside the home, says the BBC's Bilal Sarwary in Kabul.
Meanwhile, the four girls, said to be aged between seven and 12, were attending a wedding in Lashkar Gah and had gone to collect water from a stream when the explosives detonated.
Last month Afghan forces assumed security responsibility for the whole country ahead of Nato's departure. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are one of their biggest challenges.
Helmand is one of Afghanistan's most volatile provinces.Helmand is one of Afghanistan's most volatile provinces.
Correspondents say that civilian casualties in the south have increased recently, and many of those are due to the use of improvised explosives by the militants.Correspondents say that civilian casualties in the south have increased recently, and many of those are due to the use of improvised explosives by the militants.
But the BBC's Jafar Haand in Kabul says the Afghan army faces serious challenges in dealing with the threat of IEDs.