A Taliban mortar shell hit a wedding ceremony in northern Afghanistan, killing at least seven people, mostly children, and wounding at least four others, Afghan officials said. Kapisa provincial police spokesman Shayeq Shoresh said Taliban insurgents fired mortar shells during an attack on a government security checkpoint in the district of Tagab, one of which hit a house where the wedding was being held on Saturday night. Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Fawad Aman also blamed the insurgents for the casualties, but Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the police fired mortar shells towards the house. The Kapisa governor's spokesman, Shayeq Shoresh, said the insurgents aimed the mortar at the army checkpoint but the round missed the target and hit the ceremony. Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan security forces has taken a huge toll on civilians. The interior ministry said the Taliban killed nearly 250 civilians and wounded more than 500 in roadside bomb blasts and other attacks over the past month. On Saturday, at least four people were killed and several others were wounded when a roadside bomb struck their bus in the Parwan province, north of Kabul. The ministry of higher education said at least two of the dead were lecturers at Al Biruni University in the neighbouring Kapisa province, and that the wounded included the dean and students. The Afghan branch of ISIS claimed the bombing in a statement on Sunday, saying the minivan was carrying “Shiite apostates”. Even as violence surges, the US military continues to withdraw its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan. Last month, US President Joe Biden ordered the military to complete the exit of all troops by September 11, which will wrap up US on-the-ground involvement in a war that began nearly 20 years ago following the September 11 attacks by Al Qaeda.