Suicide attack on Afghan protesters kills 68
THE death toll from a suicide attack on Afghan protesters has soared to 68, officials said yesterday, as violence flares across the country ahead of elections and a key Islamic holy day.
The bombing on Tuesday in the eastern province of Nangarhar was the latest in a wave of deadly insurgent attacks which has claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and security forces in Afghanistan.
The blast wounded another 165 people, an official said.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the massacre but Isil, which has carried out most of the recent suicide bombings in Afghanistan, is active in the province.
Scores of demonstrators had blocked the highway between the provincial capital of Jalalabad and a major Pakistan border crossing in protest over the appointment of a local police chief when the suicide bomber blew himself up.
The dead and wounded were rushed to several hospitals in the back of pickup trucks and ambulances, overwhelming doctors and nurses as they struggled to cope.
Zar Khan, one of the injured, told AFP he saw a young man get out of a car and run towards the protesters shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest).
“Then the explosion happened and I found myself surrounded by blood and flesh,” Mr Khan said from his hospital bed.
Violence across the country has intensified in recent weeks as the Taliban makes gains on the battlefield and Isil launches deadly urban attacks.
It comes as Afghanistan enters a typically violent period of the year – the holy month of Muharram, which began on Tuesday.