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By Associated Press
KABUL: A roadside bomb which hit a bus in restive western Afghanistan on Tuesday killed at least eight people and wounded around 40, mostly women and children, said officials
"It was a bomb planted by the Taliban to hit security forces … it got a pbadenger bus," Farah provincial police spokesman Muhibullah Muhib told AFP.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Taliban that they were responsible.
Afghanistan's largest activist group is very active in the region and often uses improvised explosive devices against government officials and Afghan
The bus began its journey in the western city of Herat and was headed for Afghan capital.
The explosion happened in Farah's Bala Baluk district at 4:30 am, provincial governor's spokesman Naser Mehri told AFP
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Around a dozen of the wounded – mostly members of the Hazara ethnic group who tend to follow Shiite Islam in the Sunni-dominated country – were taken to hospital Herat.
Among them was Mohammad Zahir, 40, who had traveled with his daughter in Kabul.
"The bus was driving on the main road when I heard a big bang," Zahir told AFP.
"When I woke up I found myself in the hospital I still do not know what happened to my daughter."
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack
"Harming civilians, especially scholars, children and women, is against the Ulema Council 's (Afghanistan' s top religious leaders) fatwa," Ghani said in a statement, referring to the group 's proclamation in June that suicide attacks explosions were "haram" or prohibited in Islam.
– Civilian deaths –
A photo posted on the social media.
Some were peering inside while others were walking through the wreckage. A number of emergency vehicles could be seen.
Civilians have the brunt of the 17-year conflict and improvised explosive devices, such as remotely detonated or pressure-flat bombs, are one of the main cause of casualties.
Such IEDs caused 877 civilian casualties in the first half of 2018 – 232 deaths and 645 wounded – accounting for 17 percent of overall civilian casualties, the latest UN figures show.
A total of 1,692 civilians were killed in the conflict during the first six months of this year. Another 3,430 were wounded.
That was the highest number of fatal fatalities for the period of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
Militant attacks and suicide bombs were the leading causes of death. [19659003TheTalibanhasastrongpresenceacrosswesternAfghanistanparticularlyinFarahItlaunchedamajorattempttotakeovertheprovincialcapitalinMaytriggeringintensefightingwithUSand Afghan forces.
After a day-long battle the Taliban fighters were forced to the outskirts of the city.
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Zabihullah Zemarai, a member of the provincial council, said he was first of a bombing – likely an explosion set off by a suicide bomber – near the city's provincial hospital
Attahullah Khogyani, spokesperson for the provincial governor, said the target appeared at the provincial refugee and repatriation department, which was also located in the same area of the city. (19659003) No one any time for the attacks. In Nangarhar, both the Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State have been active.
The Taliban also had a strong presence in Farah, especially in Bala Buluk where they often planted Afghan security forces. Such attacks often end up inflicting significant casualties among civilians.
Farah has seen heavy fighting in recent months, with local officials and tribal elders seeking additional government forces to support the overburdened army and police. In May, more than 300 Taliban launched a multi-pronged attack on the city of Farah, the provincial capital, before they were repelled. At least 25 government troops were killed in the fighting.
The latest report by the United Nations says the number of civilians killed in Afghanistan in the first half of this year increased by 1 percent, compared to the same period last year. The mission in Afghanistan said the number – 1,692 killed by violence – is the highest 6-month death toll since the systematic documentation of civilian casualties started in 2009.
Since the United States and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, resurgent Taliban have stepped up attacks against the country and an Islamic State affiliate has also emerged, staging high-profile attacks that have claimed scores of civilian lives.
in Nangarhar when a suicide bomber killed tribal leader Haji Hayat Khan, the commander of a local militia battling both the Taliban and IS militants, and three others
In a statement posted by the affiliated IS Aqaq news agency, the militants warned all those fighting against them would meet the same fate
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