The incident occurred in the northern province of Baghlan, in the Doshi district where the children aged between 10 and 14 were killed by the explosion from the rocket-propelled grenade.
A statement from the interior ministry said: “The rocket went astray and hit a place where children were playing, killing six and wounding two others,”
“Eight police personnel accused of misusing government weapons that killed these children have been arrested and handed over to military prosecutors for investigation.”
“The police did not mean to kill the children, they were fishing, but the rocket went astray and hit the other side of the river where children were swimming in shallow water.”
Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai, who called the victim’s families, insisted that “justice will be served.”
Catching fish by setting off explosions, commonly known as ‘blast fishing’ is common in Afghanistan and in parts of Asia where coral and marine life suffers from extensive damage.
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