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KABUL (Reuters) – A suicide bomber in Afghanistan killed about 20 people and wounded dozens of people on Tuesday during a rally on the highway between the eastern city of Jalalabad and the main border crossing with Pakistan.
The blast, less than a week after the suicide bombing that killed more than 20 people in the capital, Kabul, took place as violence erupted in Afghanistan, with fierce fighting in the provinces. north in recent days.
The attack was not immediately claimed, which, according to the provincial governor's office, killed at least 19 people and wounded 57 others, although the total remains unclear, given conflicting official reports.
Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the Nangarhar Provincial Council, said that at least 30 bodies had been transported to the hospital, but the toll could increase.
The violence held back hopes for peace talks to end the 17-year-old conflict in Afghanistan, but on Tuesday two Taliban officials told Reuters the movement was preparing for another meeting with US officials.
For now, there are still few signs that Afghanistan will become safer and more stable before next month's parliamentary elections and a presidential election in April.
Nangarhar, one of the main bastions of Islamic State fighters since the beginning of 2015, has been one of the most unstable regions this year, with a series of suicide attacks and attacks on its capital, Jalalabad.
Officials and elders said Tuesday's attack was aimed at a rally to protest against a local police commander, adding that hundreds of people were present during the blast.
Qaderi said the relief efforts were hampered by reports of another kamikaze in the area, making police and emergency services cautious about approaching the scene.
The blast followed a series of smaller attacks that Tuesday targeted schools in Jalalabad and surrounding districts, killing at least one person and wounding three others.
In the northern province of Sar-e Pul, hundreds of armed men rallied to reinforce the city's defenses as security forces fought to drive the Taliban out of the city center, spokesman Zabihullah Amani said. the provincial governor.
There were no reports of American strikes at Sar-e Pul on Tuesday, but there were three strikes on Monday, a spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan said in a statement.
Two airstrikes in Baghlan province Tuesday followed six attacks the day before and US advisers were on the ground to support Afghan troops, the spokesman said.
Ghulam Mohammad Balkhi, deputy spokesman of the 209 Afghan Army Corps, said at least 30 Taliban fighters had been killed in the joint operation.
Additional report by Ahmad Sultan, Rafiq Sherzad, Abdul Matin Sahak; Written by James Mackenzie; Edited by Clarence Fernandez
