Officials in northern Afghanistan say a roadside bomb has killed five people.

District Mayor Abdul Aziz and Haji Hashim, a member of a provincial peace council, were among those killed in the blast Monday in the Ishkamish district of Takhar province.

The victims were driving to Talogan, the provincial capital, when the bomb exploded.

Authorities blame the attack on the Taliban.

Roadside bombings are a favorite weapon of Taliban insurgents, who are waging a campaign against the government of President Hamid Karzai.