Blast in Afghanistan's Kunduz, casualties feared

KUNDUZ: Casualties are feared after a blast rocked Afghanistan's Kunduz city on Sunday, Xinhua reported citing an eyewitness. Yesterday, several people were injured after a blast took place in Kabul. The explosion took place at Batkhak Square in the 10th district of Kabul, Tolo News said in a Tweet.

Citing a spokesman for the Kabul police, the Afghan media outlet said that many people had been killed while many were injured in the explosion.

According to him, the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device planted in a passenger car. The cases of blast in Afghanistan is not new. Earlier, on Monday, a blast took place in Police District-4 of Kabulfrom with explosives carried on a bicycle, the Kabul security department said. Security forces have arrived in the area to investigate the matter, reported TOLO News

Earlier, three explosions rocked the capital of Balkh province on May 25, leaving at least 9 people killed and 15 others injured. Meanwhile, on the same day, a blast at Masjid Sharif Hazrat Zakaria mosque in Kabul City left at least two worshippers dead, according to officials.

In response to the attacks in Balkh and Kabul, the US Special Envoy for Women and Human Rights in Afghanistan, Rina Amiri said that the Taliban must ensure people's security and prevent atrocities.

"The heinous attacks in Mazar & Kabul serve no purpose but to inflict further devastation on innocent Afghans who have suffered enough," Amiri tweeted.

"Preventing these horrid attacks and addressing the security and needs of all Afghans should be what the Taliban focus on," she added. The first two explosions in Balkh province targeted passenger vehicles in the Hazara neighbourhood, local media reported citing local sources.

Additionally, earlier, an explosion at a traffic square in Kabul's fourth police district had killed at least 30 people and injured others at the Hazrat Zekriya Mosque.

The Emergency hospital said that 22 people had been injured and that 5 of them had died on their way before reaching the hospital. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast in Hazrat Zakariya.

The Taliban faced a severe security threat from the Khorasan branch of ISIS, which has been active in Afghanistan since 2014. Earlier, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the recent attacks in Afghanistan that claimed the lives of numerous civilians, among them members of the Hazara Shia community and several children."

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