Over a dozen Taliban insurgents were killed and injured as their mine went off in Ghazni province, south of Afghanistan, on Tuesday, police chief of the province Khayalbaz Shirzoi said.

"The Taliban militants were busy making a mine when suddenly the device exploded, killing 10 on the spot and wounding three others," Shirzoi told Xinhua.

The incident, he added, occurred in Dayak district Tuesday morning.

Taliban militants have not made any comment.

The militias often use handmade mines to carry out suicide attacks and roadside bombings against security forces and government interests.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2009)