Afghan officials say a roadside bomb blast has killed six members of a family, including a mother and her hours-old baby.

Police say the family was heading home from the hospital where the mother had given birth when their truck hit the bomb Sunday in eastern Khost province.

Meanwhile, three people were killed in southern Helmand province when their vehicle detonated a bomb.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts. However, roadside bombs are the weapons of choice for Taliban insurgents fighting to bring down the Western-backed government in Kabul. The bombs often miss their military targets and hit civilians who use the same roads.