Herat, April 9: A blast in Afghanistan's Herat province on Monday ended up claiming the lives of at least six persons, apart from leaving nine others injured. Majority among the victims are women and minors, said reports.

Among the six deceased, include four children, a government official was reported as saying. He further said the attack was perpetrated by extremists using a motorcycle fitted with explosives.

The location of the blast was reported to the vicinity of a mosque in Shindand district. Although the Taliban was yet to officially claim responsibility for the attack, officials were firm on the role of its cadres behind the terror assault.

The death toll could further rise, said the statement issued by the Herat Governor's office.

Afghanistan, plagued with insurgency over the past three decades, has witnessed a surge in militant attacks ever since the US decided to gradually withdraw its troops in 2016.

In a bid to restrict the resurging militia, President Donald Trump halted the forces' withdrawal in 2017.

Although the government is in constant combat mode with the Taliban, the prime insurgent outfit, backchannel talks were initiated in January this year. However, the track-II dialogue with the Islamist outfit suffered a setback after the twin suicide attacks in capital Kabul earlier this year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 09, 2018 09:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).