4 children killed in mortar shell blast in Afghanistan

At least four children were killed when a mortar shell exploded in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar on Saturday, local authorities said.

Mohammad Asef Hakimi, a press officer of the Taliban administration Kandahar Police Department, told reporters that a mortar shell from previous years in the Shah Wali Kot district exploded while children were playing.

Four children lost their lives in the explosion, he added.

The Interior Ministry of the interim government announced that the unexploded ordnance will be cleared to prevent similar incidents.

Similar incidents had occurred in different provinces of the country before, causing the deaths of children.