China
21:46, 25-Jun-2017
'Toy' bomb kills six children in NW Pakistan: officials
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A bomb resembling a toy killed at least six children Sunday in Pakistan's northwestern tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
The bomb exploded while the children were playing with it in Speenmark village in the South Waziristan tribal district.
"Six children aged between six to 12 years, all boys, were killed by a toy bomb and two others wounded critically," AFP reported citing an anonymous local government official.
Another local security official confirmed the incident and casualties.
The origin of the bomb was unclear.
Dozens of children, mostly in northwest Pakistan, have lost their lives in the past when playing with "toys" that turned out to be explosive devices.
"Toy" bombs were airdropped in neighboring Afghanistan by Soviet forces during the 1980s as weapons against those who opposed their invasion.
South Waziristan is also one of the seven semi-autonomous tribal areas, where the army has for more than a decade been battling militants linked to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda.
(Source: AFP)
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