A powerful suicide truck bomb devastated a hospital in sourn Afghanistan early Thursday morning, killing as many as 20 people and wounding more than 90 ors, Afghan officials said, while a dely drone strike in country’s east was blamed on U.S. Forces. Taliban, who claimed responsibility for suicide bombing, has carried out nearly daily attacks since peace talks with United States collapsed earlier this month. Thursday’s massive explosion destroyed part of hospital in Qalat, capital of sourn Zabul province, and left a fleet of ambulances broken and battered.

Local residents, many of whom h come to see ir sick family members, used shawls and blankets to carry wounded inside destroyed building, while authorities scrambled to take worst of wounded to hospitals in nearby Kandahar. Hours earlier, a drone attack in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province blamed on U.S. forces killed at least 16 and wounded tens of ors, most of m civilians, said Jawaid Zaman, presidential viser on tribal affairs. U.S. forces in Afghanistan said y carried out a strike in eastern Nangarhar targeting Islamic State positions in area.

“We are aware of allegations of death of n-combatants and are working with local officials to determine facts,” said Col. Sonny Legget, U.S. Forces- Afghanistan.

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Aerial attack

Angry residents of area where strike occurred carried 12 of bodies to provincial capital Jalalab Thursday morning protesting attack, said provincial council he Ahm Ali Hazrat. Many more people are believed to be missing. Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for provincial goverr, also said target was Islamic State group militants who are in area. But according to Zaman, local residents h provided prior tice to local authorities that y would be collecting dried fruit. As many as 50 people were in fields when aerial attack occurred, he said.

Meanwhile, in sourn Zabul province, re were contrictory figures of de and wounded in hours immediately after suicide truck bombing. provincial goverr’s spokesman Gul Islam Seyal put death toll at 12 but said authorities were on scene sifting through debris. Atta Jan Haqbayan, he of provincial council, put death toll at 20. Morning prayers h just finished when worshippers were stunned by ear-splitting blast that destroyed parts of a mosque jacent to hospital and hospital building, said Mahboob Hakimi, a resident of Qalat.

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'Intelligence office destroyed'

Windows in his home nearly two kilometers (over one mile) away were shattered by blast, he said. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahed, said in a tweet target was a nearby intelligence office, which he claimed was destroyed and “tens of intelligence operatives killed/wounded.” Haqbayan said wall of National Security Department (NDS) building was damd. He couldn’t say wher any person was among casualties. provincial goverr, Rahmatullah Yarmal, said many of de and wounded were women and children. On Twitter, an Afghan National Security Forces personnel posted a picture of a six-month-old child saying y were searching through rubble for parents and sought public’s help.

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President Ashraf Ghani’s spokesman, Sediq Sediqqi, condemned attack in Zabul, tweeting that Taliban “continue to target civilians while ir leers travel to Iran and Russia,” a reference to Taliban negotiators recent forays seeking support abro. violence has furr rattled country as it prepares for national elections later this month. Two separate bombings on Tuesday, including one that targeted Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s election rally, killed 48 people, mostly civilians. Taliban took responsibility for both attacks. Suhail Shaheen, Taliban’s spokesman for ir political office in Middle Eastern state of Qatar, said in a tweet that a cease-fire h been part of a U.S.-Taliban deal before President Trump declared it “de.” He did t elaborate and earlier defended Taliban attacks prior to an agreement signing, saying both sides in conflict h carried out attacks. 

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