KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- Two teenage girls were killed and 16 civilians wounded in a landmine explosion in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar on Thursday, local police said.

"The blast occurred at around mid-day when a mini-bus ran over a landmine in Dakht area of Zharay district. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital by security forces," provincial police Chief Abdul Raziq told Xinhua.

He blamed Taliban militants for planting the landmine in the dusty road.

The vehicle was also destroyed in the explosion.

Taliban militants and Islamic State fighters have been using to make roadside bombs and landmines for targeting security forces, but the lethal home-made weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.

Security situation has been improving in Kandahar, the former stronghold of Taliban, over the last months, as security forces have conducted search and cordon operations across the province. But the militants attack government interests in the province from time to time.?