Nine children died and four others were injured in an explosion caused by an old mortar shell in Afghanistan near Pakistan’s border, a Taliban governor’s office confirmed Monday.
According to several media reports, the governor’s office revealed that the blast occurred when a food cart hit an unexploded mortar shell in the Lalopar district of the eastern province of Nangarhar.
The explosion took place in a school zone and all victims were from a primary school in the area as reported by Afghan news agency Khaama Press.
Afghanistan’s war torn nature since decades has meant that it has many unexploded land mines, with a United Nations (UN) Assistance Mission in Afghanistan report from 2021 finding that the use of weaponry, like mortar shells and artillery, resulted in more than 60 percent of civilian ground casualties in the country. The report also notes that many a times children are caught in the fury of indiscriminate and indirect weaponry when women and children try to take cover during conflict.
Nangarhar has historically been the mainstay of Islamic State (IS) activity. The militant group has often targeted the Afghan Taliban who took control over Afghanistan in August last year. Even though Nangarhar has been the subject of much IS attacks, the group has caused devastation countrywide since 2014.
No further details have emerged about the blast so far.
