Afghanistan's Taliban has claimed responsibility for a blast in Kabul at a compound owned by a U.S. military contractor.

Authorities say two Afghan workers were killed and at least a dozen other people were wounded in Monday's blast in the capital.

A Taliban spokesman called the attack a suicide bombing targeting an American company that provides security for military forces. The company, Contrack, builds facilities for military bases.

In a separate deadly incident Monday, 10 girls, ranging in age from 9 to 13 years, were killed in Nangarhar province. Authorities say the girls were collecting firewood Monday morning when a landmine exploded.

Officials believe the blast came from an old landmine, many of which are still hidden in fields and rural areas after decades of conflict.

General John Allen, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, offered his condolences to the families, and said Afghanistan has become “one of the most heavily mined countries on Earth.”

Allen said “the tragic and cruel fact” about landmines is that “they don't discriminate.”