Nearly a dozen non-combatants were killed in Taliban hotbed Helmand province in south Afghanistan as roadside bomb struck a civilian vehicle on Sunday afternoon, spokesman for provincial administration Daud Ahmadi said.

"It occurred at 2:30 p.m. when a mini-bus ran over a mine planted by militants on a road in Nawzad district. As a result, 11 innocent civilians, including two children and two women, were killed," Ahmadi told Xinhua.

He put the attack on the "enemies of peace," a term used against Taliban militants, but the outfit has yet to make comment.

The bloody incident occurred while a military offensive has been going on against Taliban bastion in the neighboring Marja district since Feb. 13.

To slow down the military onslaught, Taliban fighters rely on roadside bombings which often claim civilians' lives.