KABUL (REUTERS) - At least 11 people were killed and dozens injured in the bombing of a bus in Afghanistan's southern Zabul province, officials said on Monday (May 10).

The blast took place late on Sunday night, said Zabul's provincial governor's spokesman Gul Islam Sial, adding 25 people were injured including women and children who were in critical condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Taleban insurgents did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Early on Monday, a blast hit a minibus in Parwan province, just north of the capital, Kabul, killing two people and wounding nine, the Interior Ministry said.

Violence in the country has been rising sharply in recent weeks after the United States announced it would withdraw troops by Sept 11.

The insurgent Taliban announced late on Sunday they would declare a three-day ceasefire for the religious holiday of Eid al-Fitr later this week.

The ceasefire declaration came two days after bombings outside a school in Kabul killed 68 people, most of them girl students, and injured more than 165 people.

This story is developing.