Afghan officials say 10 Taliban militants have been arrested for an acid attack on schoolgirls and teachers in southern Afghanistan.

Officials say militants on motorbikes attacked the girls and teachers as they walked to school in the southern city of Kandahar earlier this month.

Several girls suffered facial burns and were hospitalized.

A Taliban spokesman earlier denied responsibility for the attack.

Under Taliban rule, girls were banned from school and were only allowed to leave the house accompanied by a male relative.

The Afghan government has accused Taliban militants of attacking dozens of schools and teachers.

Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.