Landmine kills nine children in Afghanistan

Kunduz (Afghanistan): A landmine explosion killed nine children in northeastern Afghanistan on Saturday, an official said, amid an increase in civilian casualties in the long-running and brutal war.

The blast happened in the volatile Darqad district of Takhar province when the children stepped on a mine that had been planted on a road in a Taliban-controlled village.

"At 8:30 am (0400 GMT) this morning, tragically, nine schoolchildren were martyred in a landmine blast planted by the Taliban," Jawad Hejri, a spokesman for the Takhar provincial governor, told AFP.

He said the children — all boys — were aged from seven to 11.

No group claimed responsibility for the blast, and the Taliban did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, the United Nations released a report saying an "unprecedented" number of civilians were killed or wounded in Afghanistan from July to September this year.

The figures — 1,174 deaths and 3,139 injured from July 1 until September 30 — represent a 42 percent increase compared to the same period last year.