Nine children die in Afghanistan explosion

KABUL – An explosion in eastern Afghanistan on Monday killed nine children and wounded four, according to Taliban.

A statement from the governor’s office said the blast took place when a cart selling food items struck an old, unexploded mortar shell in the district of Lalopar, in eastern Nagarhar province.

The Taliban security forces cordoned off the area for precautionary measures.

No other details were immediately available.

The Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K) has claimed responsibility for a series of bloody attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over the country in mid-August 2020, including in Nangarhar, one of its most common targets.

Afghanistan is among the countries with the most unexploded land mines and other ordnance from the country's decades of war and conflict. When the ordnance detonates, the victims are often children.