Civilians Killed in Fresh Terrorist Attack in Afghanistan
"Nine innocent civilians were killed following an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in surrounding areas of the northwestern Dawlat Abad district in Balkh province on Sunday morning," Abdul Razaq Qadiri, deputy provincial police chief, told Xinhua news agency.
The dead were shifted to the district hospital and next of kin of the victims were notified of the incident, the police official added.
He blamed enemies of peace, referring to the Taliban militant group, for the attack.
Taliban militants have been using IEDs to make roadside bombs and landmines targeting security forces, but the lethal home-made weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.
It came a day after at least 63 people were killed and scores wounded in an explosion targeting a wedding in the Afghan capital, the deadliest attack in Kabul this year.
The suicide blast took place on Saturday evening in the men's reception area at the Dubai City wedding hall in western Kabul, in a minority Shia neighborhood, packed with people celebrating a marriage.
Women and children were among the casualties, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said on Sunday.
Witnesses said members of the Shia Muslim community were holding the wedding reception.
The attack came as the Taliban and the United States are trying to negotiate an agreement on the withdrawal of US forces in exchange for a Taliban commitment on security and peace talks with Afghanistan's US-backed government.
The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack, calling the blast "forbidden and unjustifiable".
The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,360 civilians were killed and over 2,440 others injured in conflict-related incidents in the first six months of this year, according to figures released by the UN mission in Afghanistan.
Most Commented 