Afghan official: Blast kills 2 children as US soldiers visit road project

Afghan official: Blast kills 2 children

KABUL — A spokesman for the governor of an eastern Afghanistan province says two children have been killed in an explosion that tore through a group of civilians and U.S. soldiers visiting a road construction project.

Ahmad Zia Abdulzai says about 15 other people, including three soldiers, were wounded in the blast Wednesday in the Rodat district of Nangrahar province. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force says it does not have immediate details about the explosion.

Civilian deaths, especially children, are an increasingly sensitive issue in the Afghanistan conflict. On Wednesday, the independent human rights group Afghanistan Rights Monitor said more than 1,050 children under 18 died last year in war-related incidents.