One child killed, 11 injured in Afghanistan mine blasts

Kabul, Jan 7: Two mine blasts in the Taliban's former stronghold, the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, Wednesday killed one child and injured 11 others, an official said.

"Over a dozen children were playing in a field in Karizak area of Shah Walikot district, Kandahar province, this morning when a mine left over from the past war exploded, injuring 10 children," Samim Khapalwak, spokesman for provincial government, told Xinhua.

The blast, he said, occurred around 9.30 a.m. and all the victims have been taken to a hospital for medical treatment.

Also Wednesday, a second mine exploded in Kandahar province, killing one child and injuring another, Khapalwak said.

"Some children were playing in a ground in Zharay district of Kandahar province when a mine left over from the past wars exploded, leaving a girl dead and another injured," Khapalwak told reporters.

Afghanistan is one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world as thousands of mines and unexploded devices have been left over from the past three decades of war which often claim the lives of people, mostly children.

IANS