"At 8:30 a.m. this morning [local time], tragically, nine schoolchildren were martyred in a landmine blast planted by the Taliban," the AFP news agency quoted provincial governor spokesman Jawad Hejri as saying.

The Taliban maintains a strong presence in the area, but no group has claimed responsibility for the blast.

In October the United Nationals Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it was "gravely concerned about the unprecedented levels of violence harming civilians" in the first nine months of this year.

It noted that the number of casualties recorded from July to September was the highest in a quarter since it began keeping records a decade ago, and that July was the highest ever on record for a single month.

UNAMA recorded 2,563 deaths and 5,676 injured from January 1 to September 30.

Based on reports by dpa and AFP