At least 15 killed in Afghanistan suicide blast
Tuesday, 29 Apr 2008 11:43
At least 15 people have been killed in a suicide blast in eastern Afghanistan
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Nato has confirmed that at least 15 people have been killed in a suicide blast in eastern Afghanistan.
The attack took place in the small town of Khogyani, in the Nangarhar province, with reports claiming a further 25 people were injured in the blast.
The AFP news agency reported that the Taliban has confirmed that one of its fighters detonated explosives at the anti-drugs meeting of officials and villagers today.
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) was operating in the region at the time and confirmed the initial death-toll.
"Initial reports are that 15 local nationals were killed and another 25 were wounded in an explosion in Nangarhar province," an Isaf spokesman said.
Reports claim the death-toll could rise to over 30 with Afghan forces and civilians among the dead.
An eyewitness told AFP: "I saw a young boy who was carrying white papers wandering around the crowd, pretending he was applying for something at the district headquarters.
"All of a sudden I saw a big, red flame from among the crowd where the boy was standing and a big explosion followed."
The news agency also quoted a man claiming to be a Taliban commander in the eastern region as saying: "We claim responsibility for the blast in Khogyani."
The man, who identified himself as Qari Sajad, added: "It was a suicide attack carried out by one of our friends named Abdullah."
The eastern region of Afghanistan, bordering Pakistan, has been the scene of frequent clashes involving Taliban militants.
The group have been fighting against foreign and Afghan troops since being overthrown in 2001.