Afghanistan bomb explosions kill 18

Bomb explosions in Afghanistan have killed 18 civilians, including 12 children.

A car bomb went off near a police station in the southern province of Helmand on Tuesday, killing a child and an adult.

In the western province of Herat, a roadside bomb struck a bus returning from a wedding. Sixteen civilians, including 11 children, were killed.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai denounced the killing in a statement, calling it an inhuman and terrorist act.

The United Nations says a record number of 1,462 civilians were killed in the conflict in Afghanistan in the first half of this year.