Afghanistan's hard-line vice president expressed hope Sunday that an upcoming national conference will lay the foundation for peace with insurgents as a dozen civilians died in separate bombings in front-line provinces.

Thousands of protesters - many directing their anger squarely at US President Barack Obama - marched through the nation's capital on Saturday to urge immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Refuting reports that it has been "squeezed out" of Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna has said India was playing a "stellar role" in rebuilding the war-torn country, which was acknowledged by the people and the legitimate government there.

In the capital of Afghanistan's Helmand province, Taliban roam the streets freely. Barely a mile (a kilometer) outside Lashkar Gah, they wield more control than the government, according to residents.

A bus plunged off a mountain road in Afghanistan's Hindu Kush mountains on Wednesday, catching fire and leaving as many as 35 people dead, though authorities were still pulling burned bodies from the wreckage.