GHAZNI -- A land mine killed seven children and wounded two others in Ghazni Province on Saturday (May 11), officials said.
The children stepped on a mine while playing near a main road, provincial spokesman Mohammad Arif Noori told AFP.
"The mine was planted by the Taliban on a main road to inflict casualties on security forces," he said.
The Taliban did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The insurgents often use roadside bombs and land mines to target Afghan security forces, but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.
The children were aged between seven and nine and at least four of them belonged to one family, said Amanullah Kamrani, a member of the Ghazni Provincial Council.
Last month, seven children were killed and 10 more wounded in Laghman Province when a mortar shell exploded while they were playing with it.
According to the United Nations, 3,804 civilians -- including more than 900 children -- were killed in Afghanistan in 2018, with another 7,000 wounded. It was the deadliest year to date for civilians in Afghanistan's conflict.
