5 children killed in mortar attack in Afghanistan

Five children were killed and two others were wounded when a mortar shell struck a residential area in Laghman province of Afghanistan on Sunday, the provincial government said.

"One mortar round fired by armed opponents landed in Omarzai locality in provincial capital Mehtarlam city roughly at midday. The blast killed five innocent children on the spot and injured two other kids," Xinhua news agency quoted an official as saying in a statement.

The wounded were shifted to a hospital.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

--IANS

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