Jasmine Jahromi, Deputy country director of Save the Children, said: 
"Save the Children continues to be outraged by the number of children killed and wounded throughout Afghanistan by acts of extreme violence, following the tragic deaths of nine children killed by a roadside bomb on their way to school in Takhar province on Saturday. The killing and maiming of children must stop immediately and perpetrators of such acts must be held accountable.

Recent reports from the UN indicate that between 2015 and 2018 more than 12,500 children were either severely injured or killed in Afghanistan as a result of the conflict, including the deaths of more than 600 due to bomb blasts like the one in Takhar. This concerning trend has continued and even worsened in many parts of Afghanistan this year. Children must be able to attend school without fear of death or injury.

Explosive weapons kill and injure indiscriminately, disproportionately affecting children whose smaller bodies are far more likely to suffer traumatic head and chest injuries. An entire generation of children has known nothing but war. A peaceful and productive future for Afghanistan relies on the protection and education of its children. The message is simple, all parties to the conflict must stop killing and injuring children now."