3 yıl önce

Deadly blast hits Afghanistan’s Logar, underscores uptick in violence

Initial reports put the death toll at 30 people after a car bomb blast targeted Afghan city of Pul-e Alam, the provincial capital of Logar province.

Reuters

In this file photo, Afghan National Army soldiers inspect the site of a car bomb attack on a military base in Shirzad district of Nangarhar province, Afghanistan on January 30, 2021.

A huge blast in Afghanistan's eastern Logar province has killed at least 30 people, a senior official said.

The car detonated in Logar's capital of Pul-e Alam near the home of the former head of the provincial council and not far from a hospital, Didar Lawang, the spokesperson for Logar's governor, said.

Around 60 people were wounded, according to the head of Logar's provincial council, Hasibullah Stanekzai.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian said that the death toll from the blast could rise.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the blast.

Increasing violence

Violence in Afghanistan has escalated in recent weeks after US President Joe Biden announced the US would withdraw troops by September 11 to end two decades of foreign military presence.

That decision angered the Taliban who had signed a deal with previous US President Donald Trump that specified troops would be gone from the country by May 1 subject to certain security guarantees.

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said around 40 people had been taken to hospital, some in critical condition.