Afghanistan: Car bomb kills 17 a day before Eid ceasefire begins

On the eve of a ceasefire declared by the Taliban for the festival of Eid a car bomb in Afghanistan has killed at least 17 people. As per reports, the Taliban have come out and denied responsibility for the attack and the Islamic State has not yet commented on the bombing.

Explosion near the Governor's house

It is believed that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, the blast occurred in the Logar province of Afghanistan. According to reports, the explosion occurred near the governor’s house, a place where a large group of people were shopping for the festival. The Taliban and the Afghan government had agreed on a three-day ceasefire starting on July 31, the first day of Eid.

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As per reports, in a statement released by interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian, he said that terrorists had once again struck on the night of Eid al-Adha and took the life of several Afghans. A Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid in a statement stated that the group had no connection to the car bombing or the group that carried out the attack.

More than 10,000 soldiers killed since peace deal: Ashraf Ghani

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on July 28 revealed that at least 10,708 soldiers belonging to the Afghan National Security and Defence Forces (ANDSF) had been killed and injured since the US-Taliban Peace deal. The Afghan President also noted that over 750 civilians had lost their lives with at least a 1,000 more wounded.

In accordance with the US-Taliban Peace agreement, the United States has moved several thousand US troops out of 5 bases in Afghanistan.

(Image Credit AP)

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