Bomb blast kills nine, injures 18 in north Afghanistan
Iran Press TV
Mon Dec 1, 2014 9:23AM GMT
Nearly 10 people have been killed and several others wounded after a bomb attack targeted a funeral ceremony in Afghanistan's northern province of Baghlan, local police officials say.
Aminullah Amarkhil, police chief of Baghlan province, said a bomber "detonated his explosives among people who were attending a funeral ceremony in Burka district" on Monday morning.
According to the Afghan police official, 9 people, including two officers, lost their lives and 18 others sustained injuries in the attack.
"The target was probably a number of high-ranking police officials and provincial council members who were attending the ceremony," said Amarkhil, adding, "They are unharmed."
Baghlan is situated on the main road connecting the capital Kabul to the key northeastern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
The explosion comes after a recent wave of attacks by the Taliban militants in the Afghan capital. Kabul police chief General Mohammed Zahir Zahir has recently resigned due to the assaults.
The new spike in violence in war-torn Afghanistan comes after the upper house of the parliament on November 27 ratified the country's Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with Washington as well as the NATO Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA).
Based on the agreements, the United States and NATO could keep a total of 12,500 soldiers in Afghanistan next year for what they describe as supporting Afghan forces.
The agreements grant immunity to US-led troops operating in the country. They also allow the US-led forces to carry out deadly overnight raids on Afghan homes, which have triggered widespread protests in Afghanistan.
MKA/NN/HRB
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