PUL-E-ALAM (Xinhua) – Two children were killed and two others injured as a mortar mine left over from past wars went off in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province, the state-run Bakhtar news agency reported on Saturday.
A group of children found a toy-like device in the Altamor area of Pul-e-Alam city, the capital of Logar province, on Friday evening and began playing with it when the device suddenly exploded, killing the two children on the spot and injuring two more, the news agency reported.
A similar blast injured four children in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province last week.
Afghanistan is reportedly one of the most mine-contaminated countries in the world as dozens of people mostly children are killed and maimed annually in blasts of unexploded devices left over from the past four decades of wars and civil conflicts.
In another development, Afghan security forces raided hideouts of the Daesh terror group in northern Balkh province Friday night, killing several militants, chief spokesman of the Afghan caretaker administration Zabihullah Mujahid said Saturday.
The raid was conducted in Police Districts 5, 6 and 8 of Mazar-i-sharif city, the provincial capital of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province, according to the official.
Mujahid didn’t specify the number of Daesh militants killed in the operations. He said one security personnel was injured during the operations.
The security forces have also seized arms and ammunition during the operations.