FIVE civilians and one policeman have been killed by a bicycle bomb which exploded in a busy bazaar in northern Afghanistan, the provincial governor’s spokesman says.
Women and children were among 22 others injured in the blast, which took place around 6pm yesterday in Khan Abad district, Kunduz province, on Afghanistan’s main weekly day of rest.
“The bomb was attached to a bicycle and went off in the bazaar in Khan Abad district,” said Kunduz provincial spokesman Mahboobullah Saeedi. “So far we have confirmed six people including one policeman dead.”
Provincial police spokesman Sarwar Hussaini confirmed the death toll and blamed the Taliban for the attack, although the militants were not immediately contactable.
“Six people have been killed and 22 others injured as a result of today’s explosion,” Hussaini said.
“There is one policeman among the dead. There are also three children, four women and one policeman among the injured. It was a busy bazaar. The Taliban are responsible — they want to terrorise people.”
The Taliban frequently target the Afghan police and other government employees in their near decade-long insurgency.
But civilians are the biggest casualties in the war, with 2777 killed last year, according to the United Nations.
The north of Afghanistan is traditionally more stable than the volatile south and east but has seen an upsurge of violence in recent times.
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