Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed 14 people in an execution-style slaying.
Authorities say the militants stopped three vehicles headed to Kabul Friday morning in Ghor province.
Police says the gunmen lined up passengers and shot them "one by one in the head and chest." The victims were all reported to be Shi'ite Muslims.
The Taliban views the country's minority Shi'ite community as apostates.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban often denies links to incidents where civilians are the victims.
Earlier this month, a U.N. report that is released every six months said civilian casualties in Afghanistan have increased 24 percent.
In another development Friday, Noor Mohammad Noor, spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said nearly 60 percent of all ballot boxes from a disputed presidential runoff election last month have arrived at the commission's headquarters in Kabul for auditing. However, the spokesman said "not a single vote" has yet been invalidated because there is no procedure in place yet.
He said the commission is in talks with U.N. experts in an attempt to resolve the issue.
