A suicide bomber attacked a wedding party in southern Afghanistan, killing 40 people and injuring 74 others, officials said Thursday.
The bombing took place late Wednesday in Kandahar province’s Arghandab district, said Zalmai Ayoubi, a spokesman for the provincial governor. “Right now I can say that dozens of people were killed and injured in the blast.”
The Interior Ministry said that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber. “Forty of our countrymen, including children were martyred and 74 others were injured.” Another official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said earlier the death toll could rise further as the dead and injured were “rushed to different hospitals and a private clinic, we can not give an accurate number now.” No group took responsibility for the blast, which took place in Nagan village, some 15 kilometres north of Kandahar city.
The ministry statement blamed “enemies of Afghanistan,” a term often used by officials to describe Taliban, while the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the militants were responsible.
“This ruthless violence brought to the Afghan people at what should have been a time for celebration demonstrates the Taliban’s sickening and indiscriminate tactics to try to intimidate the citizens of Afghanistan,” ISAF deputy commander General Nick Parker said. “However, it only proves they have no regard for human life,” he said in a statement.
Kandahar, the spiritual home of the Taliban and its leaders’ headquarters until late 2001, is set to be a scene for a major operation by NATO-led troops this summer.
Thousands of extra US troops are expected to join other NATO forces in the region in the coming months. The military escalation is aimed at driving the militants out of Kandahar and stemming the rise of the militants in the volatile region.
