At least 16 killed in Afghan market blast
At least 16 killed in Afghan market blast
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Thursday, 14, Jan 2010 11:23
By Richard James.
At least 16 people are reported to have been killed in an explosion at a market in southern Afghanistan.
Local reports claimed the attack occurred at the town of Dihrawud, in Uruzgan province.
Among the dead are thought to be 15 civilians and one police officer.
Local police chief Juma Gul Himat is quoted by the al-Jazeera news agency as stating three children are among the dead, with a large number of shops and buildings damaged in the blast.
The attack comes a day after the United Nations released a report confirming the number of Afghan civilians killed last year was higher than any other year since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.
A separate survey published at the start of the week showed the majority of Afghans are upset at their current government and the outcome of the controversial elections last summer.
Ninety-five per cent of those questions for a joint BBC, ABS News and ARD of Germany said they thought corruption was endemic within their local police and government.
Also, just 32 per cent said they favoured a democratic Afghanistan, with 43 per cent preferring an Islamic state.