KABUL- A Taliban truck bombing in southern Ghazni province today morning killed 12 people and injured another 179 citizens, most of them school children, officials said.

A Taliban suicide bomber detonated his explosive laden mini-truck today morning around 8:30am near one of the facilities of the National Directorate of Security in Ghazni city.

In this attack 12 people including four civilians were killed and another 179, nearly all of them civilians, mostly children were injured, Public Health Ministry said.

Those with critical injuries were evacuated to Kabul hospitals.

Most of the injured civilians are school students, with their schools located near to the site of the powerful blast.

Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

The attack came just one hour before the start of 3rd intra-Afghan peace conference in Doha, where Taliban leaders are meeting a number of Afghan politicians and civil society members. The two sides are expected to discuss peace efforts in the war-hit Afghanistan.