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Blast in Afghanistan kills eight-year-old girl

09 February 2014 00:29 (UTC +04:00)

Spokesman for the provincial governor, Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, said the incident took place in the capital of Nangarhar, Jalalabad, on Saturday.

Abdulzai explained that the blast occurred near a school in the city, killing an eight-year-old girl and injuring nine others. He added that the wounded were immediately transferred to a nearby hospital.

This is while provincial public health officials put the death toll at two, saying 11 people were injured in the explosion.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though Taliban militants are usually blamed for such incidents.

The incident comes in the same day as the United Nations released its annual reports on civilian casualties in the war-torn country, saying the number is up by 14 percent in 2013, compared to the last year.

The UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in its report that 2,959 civilians were killed and more than 5,600 injured in Afghanistan during the year 2013, attributing about nearly 75 percent of them to the Taliban.

The report documented that roadside bombs planted by pro-Taliban militants caused most civilian casualties, accounting for 34 percent of deaths and injuries last year.

The total of 8,615 deaths and injuries in 2013 was the highest number of combined casualties since the UN started documenting the data in 2009.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror.

The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity remains in the country.