Car bombing in western Afghanistan kills 13, wounds 120

Car bomb targeted Afghan police headquarters, nearby government buildings in Ghor

A suicide car bombing on Sunday killed at least 13 people and wounded around 120 others in Afghanistan’s western Ghor province, officials said. The attack took place in Feroz Koh, the capital of Ghor,a province that has not seen much violence compared to some other regions of the conflict-wracked country.

The head of a hospital in Ghor, Mohammad Omer Lalzad, said emergency staff is treating dozens of people with both serious and light injuries from the bombing. He expected the death toll to rise, according to a report.

Unidentified health officials told ToloNews that the bodies of “Seven people and more than 70 wounded” were brought to the hospitals. Juma Gul Yakoobi, a Ghor health official, told AFP victims also included members of security forces.

Interior Ministry spokesman, Tariq Aran said the car bombing struck near the entrance of the provincial police chief’s office and other nearby government buildings in the area. The incident took place at 11 am after a Toyota Corolla-brand vehicle “loaded with explosives” was detonated close to the police headquarters and government offices for “women, martyrs and disabled affairs”, said a statement by Afghanistan’s interior ministry.

On Friday, The Taliban agreed to suspend attacks in southern Afghanistan that had displaced thousands of residents in recent days. It came after the US vowed to halt all strikes and night raids in keeping with the peace agreement the US signed with the Taliban in February.

The US had been conducting air strikes in support of Afghan forces trying to repel Taliban assaults in Helmand provinces, which threatened to derail efforts to end Afghanistan’s war.