At least 11 people have been killed in a roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan, police have said.

The bomb hit a civilian vehicle in the Spin Boldak district in Kandahar province, whose passengers were on their way to visit a shrine.

"Three women, three men and five children were killed," General Saifullah Hakim, a senior border police official, told the AFP news agency.

Hakim blamed Taliban fighters, who use roadside bombs to target Afghan and foreign troops, for the attack.

There has been an upsurge in attacks by Taliban across Afghanistan despite an offensive by US-led troops to quell the violence and restore order in the country.

Barack Obama, the US president, has deployed more troops in the country to bolster the offensive against Taliban.

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