© AFP/File, Rahmatullah AlizadAfghan policemen question drivers at a checkpoint in Wardak province, on April 4, 2013
The bus bombing in the flashpoint province of Wardak came as Afghanistan endures a bloody few days at a time of year that often sees a surge in violence as the cold winter recedes and the so-called "fighting season" begins.
A woman was among the dead and children among the wounded, officials said.
"Today at around 8:00 am an IED (improvised explosive device) hit a bus," Attaullah Khogyani, the governor's spokesman in Wardak province, told AFP.
"At least 22 people are wounded and nine others, including a woman, are dead."
Khogyani said the Taliban, who have been fighting for 11 years against the US-backed Kabul government, were behind the attack.
The bus was a government service making daily trips between the capital Kabul and Ghazni, the neighbouring province further to the southwest.
"I helped evacuate several dead and wounded. There were lots of people in the bus. Only a few survived unhurt, others were killed and wounded," witness Mohammad Sarwar told AFP by telephone.
Comment: It's highly improbable that the U.S. has any real intention of bombing North Korea back to the Stone Age. Sabre-rattling against such a tiny outpost of rebellion to U.S. diktats is useful for preparing the American and Western masses for more wars of distraction while meteors continue to rain down on the planet.