SEVEN PEOPLE – including six children – have been killed in a bombing in Afghanistan.

The six children and one adult civilian died when an explosive device, hidden inside a pile of litter, detonated in the southern city of Tarin Kowt.

Police sources said the children were rummaging for scrap metal and bottles when they were killed. Another four children were wounded.

A motive has not been established, though it is known that a local police commander lived closed to the bomb site.

The explosions followed yesterday’s deaths of five NATO soldiers were killed in two roadside bombings – bringing to nine the number of coalition troops who have died there in the first week of this year.

544 NATO troops died in Afghanistan last year, making 2011 the second-bloodiest year in the decade-long war.

All three explosions are thought to be the work of the Taliban, who avoid direct combat during the fiercely cold winter months and instead rely on roadside bombs and hit-and-run tactics to upset NATO and government forces.

Additional reporting by AP