KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – According to a statement from the Taliban’s provincial police command, the incident occurred on Sunday (January 18) in Puladkhana area of Maidan Shahr, the provincial capital.
The statement said the explosion was caused by a landmine left over from previous conflicts and detonated while a group of children were collecting firewood in the area.
Local authorities said the injured children were initially taken to Maidan Wardak provincial hospital and were later transferred to Kabul for further medical treatment.
Explosions caused by unexploded ordnance and landmines left from decades of war have repeatedly claimed the lives of civilians across Afghanistan, with children among the most frequent victims.
Years of conflict have left large areas of the country contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war.
According to United Nations figures, approximately 3.3 million people in Afghanistan live within one kilometer of areas contaminated by landmines and other explosive devices.
