Kabul, Afghanistan ? A rocket exploded Tuesday in a school yard in eastern Afghanistan, killing seven students and wounding 34 other people in an attack possibly aimed at a nearby U.S. military base, officials said.

The tragedy was the deadliest in a string of assaults on Afghanistan’s education system since the hard-line Islamic Taliban regime was ousted by a U.S.-led coalition after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Local police commander Mohammed Hasan accused the Taliban of targeting the boys’ school in the town of Asadabad in Kunar province. But a purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammed Yousaf, denied involvement.

“We do not kill innocent children. This is not our work,” he said.

Salabagh School is in a steep river valley about half a mile from a U.S. base, which frequently draws militant fire. Coalition helicopters patrolled the area after the attack.

A second rocket exploded in a nearby field Tuesday but hurt no one.