At least 16 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan. They include four Czech soldiers from NATO’s armed forces and several children.

A fifth Czech soldier was badly wounded in the attack.

Local officials say the killings, in the eastern province of Parwan, were carried out by a suicide bomber on a bicycle.

The attack on a medical clinic claimed the lives of some ten civilians and two policemen, according to reports.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

One eyewitness, a local man, said that when he got to the scene he saw that eight or nine of the dead were children.

“Two days ago a rocket was fired from the village of Qalandar Khil which hit the Bagram (military) base and this morning a joint Afghan-ISAF operation went there to investigate the case,” said Ziaul Rahman Sayedkhili, a senior police officer in Parwan. “There was a suicide bomber on a bicycle who detonated his explosives.”

The bombing took place as most international forces from the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) are preparing to leave the country after 12 years of war against Taliban insurgents.