An insurgent rocket ripped through a bus driving on a highway in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing two people aboard and wounding about 25, the government said.
The militants appeared to have been aiming for a nearby police checkpoint, but the rocket fell short of the target and hit the busload of civilians instead, the Interior Ministry said.
The deaths in Ghazni province's Qarabagh district are part of a growing civilian toll from roadside bombs, battles and suicide attacks this year.
A UN report issued last month said August was the deadliest month of 2009 for civilians because of violence from the insurgency. A total of 1,500 civilians died in Afghanistan between January and August, up from 1,145 for the same period of 2008. About 68 percent of the deaths were due to the insurgents, the report said.
