Suicide bombing in eastern Afghanistan

(Baonghean.vn) - On Sunday, November 23, a suicide bombing took place at a volleyball match in eastern Afghanistan. According to Attaullah Fazli, Deputy Governor of Paktika Province - where the tragedy took place, the bombing killed about 50 people and injured 60 others.

Local authorities said that most of the victims were civilians, including local police. It is known that this was a volleyball tournament held between three provinces, so many people came to participate. Mukhlis Afghan - spokesman for the governor of Paktika province said that the perpetrator rode a motorbike into the crowd and then detonated the bomb he was carrying.

On July 15, at least 89 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a market in Paktika province. Photo: AFP/Pajhwok News Agency.

“The scale and severity of the attack has shocked everyone,” added Mukhlis Afghan. He asked Kabul to “send helicopters to evacuate the critically injured.” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was quick to condemn the “inhumane” attack, stressing that “any attack on civilians cannot be justified.”

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban are suspected of being behind it. However, the Taliban do not usually carry out attacks on civilians, and their main targets are Afghan security forces.

The most recent attack on civilians in Afghanistan was on July 15. Dozens of people were killed in a bomb attack at a market in Paktika province. The attacker blew up his car in the market and the victims were mostly civilians.

Sunday’s attack came as NATO troops began to withdraw from the country and hand over full security responsibility to the Afghan military. By 2015, the number of foreign troops in Afghanistan is expected to drop to 12,500. Their mission is to “provide training support” to Afghan security forces.

Chu Thanh -According to LeMonde November 23