Bomb Explodes Bus, Killing 25

A bomb tore through a bus in southern Afghanistan Wednesday, killing 25 and injuring 20 more. All passengers were civilians. The bus was traveling on a desert highway from Nimroz province toward Kabul when it hit an improvised explosive device. It blew up near the border with Helmand province, a major battleground between Western troops and the Taliban. Afghan officials decided the IED-heavy road needed a police checkpoint, but the district still doesn’t have police to put in it. Insurgents have planted thousands of IEDs around the country to kill NATO troops, but at least 7,000 Afghan civilians have died from the roadside bombs. NATO officials say the Taliban has rescinded an order that its fighters try to avoid hurting civilians.