At least ten young girls have been killed and two others injured in a landmine explosion in eastern Afghanistan.
The girls were collecting firewood when one of them hit the mine with an axe.
Most of those killed were aged between nine and 11.
The incident took place near Dawlatzai village in the Chaperhar district of Nangarhar.
A spokesman for the local government said that the two injured girls are in a critical condition in hospital.
Elsewhere, Afghanistan's Taliban movement claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Kabul today, which targeted a US contracting company and killed two Afghan civilians.
The Taliban and its allies have staged high-profile attacks in Kabul over the past few years against Western targets, including embassies.
However, attacks on Western companies are rare.
“A suicide car bomber attacked an important American company which is involved in security," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
"The company was under our surveillance for a long time and today we succeeded."
