Emergency responders said Friday that at least 20 children were killed when a minibus in which they were riding collided with a truck northeast of South Africa's capital.

Images posted by the ER24 medical service on Twitter showed the minibus smoking and twisted on its side next to the truck.

ER24 said responders found about 13 children trapped inside the vehicle after its flames were put out. The other children were found outside the minibus.

The emergency service said the cause of the crash is not yet known. It occurred between the communities of Verena and Bronkhorstpruit.

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Defense Secretary Mattis: 'No doubt' Syria still has chemical weapons </s> Eleven members of an Afghan family, mostly women and children, were killed Friday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while they were travelling for an engagement ceremony in the country's volatile east.

The attack occurred in the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province but no militant group has so far claimed responsibility.

"The bomb struck their Toyota sedan when they were going for an engagement ceremony," said Logar Governor Mohammad Halim Fidai.

"The victims included five women and five children."

Provincial authorities blamed the Taliban, who launched their annual "spring offensive" last month, for the killings.

The Taliban were not immediately reachable for comment, but roadside bombs have been the militants' weapon of choice in their war against foreign and Afghan security forces.

The bombs also increasingly kill and wound civilians.

Some 987 child casualties were reported from conflict-related incidents in the first four months of 2017, a record high for the period since the United Nations began documenting such cases.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan voiced alarm when five boys from one family were killed this month by an unexploded mortar round in Laghman province.

"The children were playing outside their home and found the mortar round, likely fired during fighting earlier in the day," said UNAMA chief Tadamichi Yamamoto.

"A family destroyed in seconds -- this horror is just one of too many incidents documented at the onset of this fighting season." </s> Kabul: Eleven members of an Afghan family, mostly women and children, were killed on Friday when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb while they were travelling for an engagement ceremony in the country`s volatile east.

The attack occurred in the Mohammad Agha district of Logar province but no militant group has so far claimed responsibility.

"The bomb struck their Toyota sedan when they were going for an engagement ceremony," said Logar Governor Mohammad Halim Fidai.

"The victims included five women and five children."

Provincial authorities blamed the Taliban, who launched their annual "spring offensive" last month, for the killings.

The Taliban were not immediately reachable for comment, but roadside bombs have been the militants` weapon of choice in their war against foreign and Afghan security forces.

The bombs also increasingly kill and wound civilians.

Some 987 child casualties were reported from conflict-related incidents in the first four months of 2017, a record high for the period since the United Nations began documenting such cases.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan voiced alarm when five boys from one family were killed this month by an unexploded mortar round in Laghman province.

"The children were playing outside their home and found the mortar round, likely fired during fighting earlier in the day," said UNAMA chief Tadamichi Yamamoto.

"A family destroyed in seconds -- this horror is just one of too many incidents documented at the onset of this fighting season." </s> FREETOWN, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone's defense ministry says at least 10 people are dead and several others are wounded after a military truck had brake failure, flipped and caused an accident in the capital, Freetown.

A soldier with the ministry, Unisa Conteh, said late Monday that seven soldiers and three civilians were killed. He said the truck had been transporting mourners to the Military War Graves cemetery to attend the burial of a military staff sergeant who died over the weekend in a road accident.

This latest crash is among the country's most deadly road accidents in recent years. </s> Twenty-four people including mothers and babies were killed Thursday when their vehicle ran over a landmine in central Mali, local residents said.

The deaths brought the number of fatalities linked to Mali's terrorist insurgency to 33 in 24 hours, most of them civilians.

The victims had been traveling from neighboring Burkina Faso for a weekly market in Boni, local officials said.

The blast occurred nine kilometers (five miles) from the town.

"The final toll is 24, including four babies with their mothers. There are no survivors," said Boni resident Abdoulaye Cheick, who described himself as a relative of one of the dead.

 Local officials had earlier given a provisional toll of 13 dead, made up of civilians from Mali and Burkina Faso.

"Terrorists use these mines to spread fear," a Malian security source said, adding that the victims had been killed instantly.

Another unnamed local official said that the vehicle was carrying seven traders from Burkina Faso as well as Malians.

In November, five civilians including a teenage girl were killed when the bus they were traveling on struck a mine. No group claimed responsibility for that incident.

Militants linked to Al-Qaeda took control of the desert north of Mali in early 2012, but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013.

In June 2015, Mali's government signed a peace agreement with coalitions of armed groups. But insurgents remain active, and large tracts of the country are lawless.

In a separate development, a Malian army source said five "terrorists" and two soldiers were killed Thursday when a security post came under attack in Youwarou, in the center of the country.

Another attack, at Ngomakoura, also in central Mali, was repelled and there were no casualties, the source said. Thirty-six gendarmes stationed in Ngomakoura deserted last week and face a court martial in Bamako.

On Wednesday, security sources said two customs officers were killed in a suspected terrorist attack at a market in the small village of Toubakoro, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital.

Mali is one of a string of poor, fragile nations in the Sahel region that have been battered by terror attacks.

The country has joined with Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso in the so-called "G5 Sahel" initiative, pooling military efforts to fight the militant groups.

Backed by France, the joint force has been focusing in its early operations on re-establishing control in lawless frontier regions where terrorist groups have been able to flourish.

On the political front, the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a French-drafted statement giving parties to the 2015 peace deal until the end of March to show progress or face sanctions.

The council said there was a "pressing need to deliver tangible and visible peace dividends to the population in the North and other parts of Mali" ahead of elections scheduled for this year. </s> Twenty-four people including mothers and babies were killed Thursday when their vehicle ran over a landmine in central Mali, local residents said.

The deaths brought the number of fatalities linked to Mali's terrorist insurgency to 33 in 24 hours, most of them civilians.

The victims had been traveling from neighboring Burkina Faso for a weekly market in Boni, local officials said.

The blast occurred nine kilometers (five miles) from the town.

"The final toll is 24, including four babies with their mothers. There are no survivors," said Boni resident Abdoulaye Cheick, who described himself as a relative of one of the dead.

Local officials had earlier given a provisional toll of 13 dead, made up of civilians from Mali and Burkina Faso.

"Terrorists use these mines to spread fear," a Malian security source said, adding that the victims had been killed instantly.

Another unnamed local official said that the vehicle was carrying seven traders from Burkina Faso as well as Malians.

In November, five civilians including a teenage girl were killed when the bus they were traveling on struck a mine. No group claimed responsibility for that incident.

Militants linked to Al-Qaeda took control of the desert north of Mali in early 2012, but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013.

In June 2015, Mali's government signed a peace agreement with coalitions of armed groups. But insurgents remain active, and large tracts of the country are lawless.

In a separate development, a Malian army source said five "terrorists" and two soldiers were killed Thursday when a security post came under attack in Youwarou, in the center of the country.

Another attack, at Ngomakoura, also in central Mali, was repelled and there were no casualties, the source said. Thirty-six gendarmes stationed in Ngomakoura deserted last week and face a court martial in Bamako.

On Wednesday, security sources said two customs officers were killed in a suspected terrorist attack at a market in the small village of Toubakoro, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) north of the capital.

Mali is one of a string of poor, fragile nations in the Sahel region that have been battered by terror attacks.

The country has joined with Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso in the so-called "G5 Sahel" initiative, pooling military efforts to fight the militant groups.

Backed by France, the joint force has been focusing in its early operations on re-establishing control in lawless frontier regions where terrorist groups have been able to flourish.

On the political front, the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a French-drafted statement giving parties to the 2015 peace deal until the end of March to show progress or face sanctions.

The council said there was a "pressing need to deliver tangible and visible peace dividends to the population in the North and other parts of Mali" ahead of elections scheduled for this year. </s> Twenty-four people including mothers and babies were killed on Thursday when their vehicle ran over a landmine in central Mali, local residents said.

The deaths brought the number of fatalities linked to Mali's jihadist insurgency to 33 in 24 hours, most of them civilians.

The victims had been travelling from neighbouring Burkina Faso for a weekly market in Boni, local officials said.

The blast occurred nine kilometres (five miles) from the town.

"The final toll is 24, including four babies with their mothers. There are no survivors," said Boni resident Abdoulaye Cheick, who described himself as a relative of one of the dead.

Local officials had earlier given a provisional toll of 13 dead, made up of civilians from Mali and Burkina Faso.

"Terrorists use these mines to spread fear," a Malian security source said, adding that the victims had been killed instantly.

Another unnamed local official said that the vehicle was carrying seven traders from Burkina Faso as well as Malians.

In November, five civilians including a teenage girl were killed when the bus they were travelling on struck a mine. No group claimed responsibility for that incident.

Islamic extremists linked to Al-Qaeda took control of the desert north of Mali in early 2012, but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013.

In June 2015, Mali's government signed a peace agreement with coalitions of armed groups. But insurgents remain active, and large tracts of the country are lawless.

In a separate development, a Malian army source said five "terrorists" and two soldiers were killed Thursday when a security post came under attack in Youwarou, in the centre of the country.

Another attack, at Ngomakoura, also in central Mali, was repelled and there were no casualties, the source said. Thirty-six gendarmes stationed in Ngomakoura deserted last week and face a court martial in Bamako.

On Wednesday, security sources said two customs officers were killed in a suspected jihadist attack at a market in the small village of Toubakoro, some 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital.

Mali is one of a string of poor, fragile nations in the Sahel region that have been battered by terror attacks.

The country has joined with Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso in the so-called "G5 Sahel" initiative, pooling military efforts to fight the jihadists.

Backed by France, the joint force has been focusing in its early operations on re-establishing control in lawless frontier regions where terror groups have been able to flourish.

On the political front, the UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a French-drafted statement giving parties to the 2015 peace deal until the end of March to show progress or face sanctions.

The council said there was a "pressing need to deliver tangible and visible peace dividends to the population in the North and other parts of Mali" ahead of elections scheduled for this year. </s> FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone’s defense ministry says at least 10 people are dead and several others are wounded after a military truck had brake failure, flipped and caused an accident in the…

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Sierra Leone’s defense ministry says at least 10 people are dead and several others are wounded after a military truck had brake failure, flipped and caused an accident in the capital, Freetown.

A soldier with the ministry, Unisa Conteh, said late Monday that seven soldiers and three civilians were killed. He said the truck had been transporting mourners to the Military War Graves cemetery to attend the burial of a military staff sergeant who died over the weekend in a road accident.

This latest crash is among the country’s most deadly road accidents in recent years.

Copyright © 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> MAZAR-I-SHARIF - Eight children, including four siblings, were killed in Afghanistan when a mortar shell they were playing with exploded, relatives said Saturday, adding to the ever-growing civilian toll in the 17-year war.

Another six children were wounded in the blast on Friday, including two who had lost limbs and were in a critical condition in a hospital in the northwestern province of Faryab. All the children were aged between five and 12. “They found an unexploded mortar shell and brought it near our house,” Shukrullah, an uncle of four of the children killed, told AFP.

“They didn’t know what it was and were trying to open it when it suddenly exploded.”

Mohammad Alam, who was a cousin of four of the children, said he heard a “big explosion”.

“I rushed to the site and saw the kids covered in blood,” Alam told AFP from the hospital. “They had found an unexploded shell and were playing with it when it went off.”

Officials were quick to blame the explosion on the Taliban, which last week captured Koh-e-Sayad village where the children lived.

The militants had planted a mine near a security checkpoint, Faryab police spokesman Abdul Karim Yoresh told AFP. “On Friday afternoon the children were passing the area when the mine hit them,” Yoresh said.

Children are often killed or maimed by explosive devices left over from decades of conflict, carelessly discarded or deliberately planted.

Civilians, including children, have borne the brunt of the conflict which began with the US-led invasion in 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime.

UN figures show 3,179 children were killed or wounded in 2017, accounting for almost one-third of the total civilian casualties for the year.

Improvised explosive devices, such as remotely detonated or pressure-plate bombs, killed or wounded 545 of them.

Unexploded ordnance claimed the lives of 142 children and wounded 376 in the same period.
12 civilians including a baby were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in hit a landmine.