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Children killed in Afghan blast | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Seventeen people, including 12 schoolchildren, have been killed in a suicide bombing in south Afghanistan, the country's interior ministry says. | |
Another 30 people were injured, some seriously, in the attack on a market place in Dehrawood in Uruzgan province, where Taleban militants are active. | |
The bomber blew himself up near a Nato-led convoy, police said. | |
The Nato-led international force (Isaf) said seven of its soldiers were among the injured. | |
If the death toll is confirmed, this would be the third deadliest bomb attack in Afghanistan this year, says the BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul. | |
Many children were caught in the explosion as they were leaving classes near a crowded bazaar in Dehrawood. | |
A Nato spokesman told the BBC he believed more than a dozen people had been killed and that Isaf troops were among the wounded. | |
The wounded were all being treated at an Isaf medical centre. Some of them were said to be in a serious condition. | |
Isaf had earlier said that at least six people had been killed in the attack. | |
The Nato spokesman said the attack showed a "wanton disregard" for the safety of civilians. The bombing contradicted recent public calls by insurgents that civilian casualties should be avoided, he said. | |
Isaf has not given the nationalities of its injured troops, but most of its contingent in Uruzgan comes from The Netherlands. | |
Heavy fighting | Heavy fighting |
Less than a month ago, another suicide attack in the same province killed at least 10 people including a Dutch soldier. | |
More than 6,000 people have died in insurgency-related violence in the past 18 months. | |
Uruzgan was also the scene of heavy fighting last month between Afghan and foreign forces on the one hand and Taleban rebels on the other. | |
About 90 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, most in combat for the Nato-led military force Isaf in the country's south. | About 90 foreign troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, most in combat for the Nato-led military force Isaf in the country's south. |
Correspondents say the south of the country this year has seen the worst violence since the Taleban were ousted from power in 2001 by a US-led international coalition. |