9 Children Killed in Explosion Near School in Eastern Afghanistan

At least nine children were killed and four injured in an explosion in eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. The explosion on Monday in the Lalopar district of the Nagarhar province came when a food cart hit an unexploded mortar shell, The Associated Press reported citing the office of a Taliban-appointed governor. The victims were students of a local elementary school, and the explosion was caused by a rocket-propelled grenade brought by a student for sale in front of the school, The United News of India reported. The report cited the Khaama Press, an online news service for Afghanistan, which quoted Hakmakhan, a local influencer. The province is the headquarters of the Islamic State group, which has staged several attacks against the Taliban since the Islamist group took over in mid-August. Afghanistan is among the countries with the most unexploded land mines and mortars, according to the AP.