Car bomb kills 18 in southeast Afghanistan

Afghan security personnel are seen near a crater after a car bomb exploded, targeting an Afghan National Army (ANA) base in Khost Province, March 17, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

A car bomb attack targeting local police in Afghanistan’s southeastern Khost Province has killed at least 18 people and wounded a number of others, Afghan officials say.

The deadly attack occurred Saturday at Khost City’s Mujahid Square, the provincial governor’s spokesman Mubariz Zadran announced, without offering any casualty figures.

Local press offered conflicting casualty tolls of 18 and more, citing various authorities. It was also not clear how many victims were civilians or police forces.

According to government authorities, the attack happened around 8:30 am local time after a bomber detonated his explosives while driving a vehicle near a military base and a football field.

The bombing came on the first day of Islam’s holy month of Ramadan, in which most Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.

Afghan security forces patrol during an operation against Daesh militants in the Chaparhar district of Nangarhar Province, May 21, 2017.  (Photo by AFP)

“The bodies are not recognizable and it is hard to say if they are civilians or security forces,” said Gul Mohammadin Mangal, a public health official in Khost. He said the number of fatalities could rise since a number of those wounded in the bombing were in critical condition.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the bombing. But both Taliban and Daesh terrorist groups have been carrying out such attacks in Afghanistan.

Afghan children walk past security forces as they leave a village during an operation against Daesh militants in the Chaparhar district of Nangarhar Province, May 21, 2017.  (Photo by AFP)

Meanwhile, at least 59 Daesh militants were killed during the operations by Afghan security forces, which concluded in the Chaparhar district of the eastern Nangarhar Province on Friday. According to local government authorities, at least 39 more militants were also wounded in the course of the operations and three others were taken into custody.

The operations were launched in Chaparhar district on May 16 and led to the flushing out of the Daesh terrorists from all villages in the district.

Separately, in the northwestern province of Badghis, militants attacked security forces in the Qadis district, sparking clashes, which killed 22 militants, six security forces, and eight civilians, said the provincial governor’s spokesman Zahir Bahand.

He added that the skirmishes also wounded 33 militants and 17 civilians.

Afghanistan has seen militancy by the Taliban since 2001, when a US-led invasion ousted a Taliban regime. The Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh has also gained a foothold in the country more recently.