12 dead in Taliban blast in Afghan city

GHAZNI, Afghanistan: A Taliban car bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least 12 people and wounded many more — including dozens of children — in a massive blast, officials said.

Taliban fighters detonated a car bomb in Ghazni city near an office of Afghanistan’s main intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), during Sunday morning’s rush hour, officials said.

Sunday’s suicide car bomb attack hit the eastern city of Ghazni and targeted an intelligence unit, Ghazni provincial governor spokesman Aref Noori told AFP. Wahidullah Mayar, a health ministry spokesman, said 12 people had been killed. Additionally, “179 people, mostly civilians including children, were wounded”, he added. The number of wounded jumped up from an earlier toll of 70, suggesting a massive explosion. According to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, more than 50 children were among the wounded. It said the total casualty figure was at least 150. “UNAMA condemns the indiscriminate & disproportionate Taliban attack,” the agency said on Twitter.

The blast comes less than a week after a huge explosion in Kabul also wounded about 50 children. In that case, the blast targeted a defence ministry building but also damaged five nearby schools, showering youngsters with flying glass. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for both attacks.

Military conflict and attacks on civilians have intensified even as the diplomatic process gains momentum, triggering tremendous unease among some Afghans about the significance of holding peace talks with the Taliban.

Government officials in the southern provinces of Logar and Helmand said the Afghan forces had conducted several air strikes on Taliban hideouts in the last 36 hours, killing over 30 insurgents.

The Taliban took responsibility for detonating a car bomb at the start of a lengthy gun fight outside a defense ministry compound in the capital, Kabul, last week. Six people were killed and more than 100 civilians, including 60 children, were wounded in that attack.

In western Ghor province, a landmine explosion killed seven children and wounded one on Saturday, officials said. The blast occurred when children stepped accidentally walked over a landmine. The insurgents often place landmines to target Afghan security forces, but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.

According to the United Nations, 3,804 civilians — including more than 900 children— were killed in Afghanistan in 2018, with another 7,000 wounded. It was the deadliest year to date for civilians in Afghanistan’s conflict.