Blast claims lives of four children in W. Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, July 24 (KUNA) -- At least four children were killed and another wounded in a landmine blast in Afghanistanآ’s western Ghor province, said official on Friday.
The provincial police chief, Mohammad Zaman Azimi, told the media that the children were grazing animals near a mountainside in Bara Khana area when the improvised explosive device (IED) went off, killing four male children and injuring a girl.
The police chief said that initial investigation suggested that Taliban militants had planted the bomb recently. The injured girl had been shifted to hospital in a critical condition, he added.
Earlier on July 16, at least four children playing outside the home of a local resident were killed in a bomb blast in Syedabad district of central Maidan Wardak province. The blast came at a time when Taliban rebels have paced up their attacks across Afghanistan following the annual warm weather offensive against the foreign and local security forces. (end) sbk.ajs