Roadside bomb tears off children;s legs in southern Afghanistan

USPA News - Two young boys were seriously injured on Friday when a bomb explosion ripped both their legs off as they walked along a road in southern Afghanistan, local officials said on Saturday, accusing the Taliban as being responsible for the blast. The attack happened on Friday afternoon when two boys, aged 9 and 11, were walking on a dust road in the town of Zangabad, located in Panjwai district of Kandahar province, which is located in Afghanistan`s volatile southern region that was the birthplace of the Taliban movement two decades ago.

Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the Kandahar governor`s office, said the two young children lost both their legs while one of them also lost an arm. "They were immediately taken to the hospital for further treatment," Faisal added, giving no other details about their current conditions. The office described the explosive device as a victim-operated improvised explosive device (VOIED), also known as a booby trap, which refers to devices that are specifically designed to activate upon contact with a victim. The switches for the victim-operated IEDs are usually disguised as everyday objects. Faisal accused the Taliban of planting the explosive device, but it was not immediately known if the insurgents were targeting anyone specifically. "The enemies of Afghanistan try to target the ANSF (Afghan National Security Forces) by emplacing IEDs on the public routes," the spokesman said. Earlier this month, four girls were killed when an explosive device exploded as a group of girls was attempting to cross a river in the city of Lashkargah in southern Helmand province. At least eight children were also among 18 people killed in an IED explosion in western Herat province.