10 militants, 4 Afghans in violence

A roadside blast hit a vehicle in the eastern Paktia province, leaving three civilians dead early Saturday, said government spokesman Ghamai Mohammadi.

Another bomb placed on a bicycle exploded as a police vehicle passed by outside Kandahar city in southern Afghanistan. The blast killed a 10-year old boy and wounded another civilian, said police officer Mohammad Nabi. There were no police casualties from the blast.

Militants regularly use roadside bombs against Afghan and foreign troops in the country, but most of those killed in such attack have been civilian.

In the western Farah province Afghan and foreign troops bombed a Taliban hideout where two hostages were being held, leaving eight militants dead, said Afghan army commander Gen. Jalander Shah.

Both hostages were freed during the Friday operation, Shah said.

Also Friday, U.S.-led coalition and Afghan troops clashed and called in airstrikes on insurgents in eastern Khost province, during a raid on a compound suspected of housing militants involved in bomb making activities.

Two militants were killed and four others detained during the operation in Khost's Sabari district, the coalition said in a statement.

The joint force searched several compounds during the operation and recovered weapons and ammunition, it said.

More than 1,200 people -mostly militants -have died in insurgency-related violence so far this year, according to a tally compiled by The Associated Press.