KABUL -- Two children have been killed and at least nine other people wounded after two bombs went off near-simultaneously in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif, officials say.

Adil Shah Adil, the spokesman for Balkh Province's police chief, said the blasts took place on a road in the provincial capital on January 14.

Those killed in the explosions were aged 14 and 10, the spokesman said.

The wounded included eight civilians and a member of the Afghan security forces.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban has stepped up attacks in Balkh Province and elsewhere in northern Afghanistan in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, an improvised explosive device attached to a vehicle exploded in Mazar-e Sharif, killing a local resident and wounding at least two others, according to police.

With reporting by AP and Tolo News