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KABUL: At least eight people were killed and more than 50 others injured when a powerful explosion rocked Herat city, capital of the province with the same name, several officials said.
The ministry of interior said Saturday that an explosives-laden vehicle was detonated late Friday in the city’s Police District 14.
The explosion was as powerful as destroyed several nearby houses were destroyed, according to witnesses.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the bombing, but President Ashraf Ghani blamed it on the Taliban insurgents, while the militant group rejected having hands.
“With their illegitimate war and violence against people, Taliban once again showed that they aren’t determined in a peaceful solution of the current crisis and waste the existing peace chance by complicating the situation,” Ghani said Saturday in a statement.
Interior Ministry Spokesman, Tareq Aryan, said that one of the dead was police officer, two of them women and three children.
He added that seven officers were among the 54 wounded.
Provincial Spokesman Jilani Farhad, said that 95 per cent of the victims were civilians, adding that two children, two men and two women were among the killed.
He counted the number of wounded 47, saying that most of them were civilians.
Many have been trapped under debris, according to witnesses, who feared that the number of victims could be much higher than announced.
Rafiq Shirzai, spokesman for the provincial health department, said 51 wounded from whom 20 are women and eight are children.
He said five of the injured were in critical condition.
