At least 25 people have been killed in a suicide vehicle bomb attack near a military base in Afghanistan’s Khost province, where Afghan and foreign soldiers are stationed, authorities said. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the bomber was trying to get onto the base or what led up to his attack, Khan said.
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Dr. Hedayatullah Hamedi, the provincial health director of Afghanistan’s Khost province, said the bombing happened Sunday at a checkpoint in the city of Khost.
He said the blast wounded six civilians, two of whom were in critical condition Sunday night, and that the death toll could rise.
“The explosion was so loud and strong that nearly all of the city of Khost was shaken by the blast”, provincial police chief Gen. Faizullah Ghyrat said.
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in December, leaving local forces to battle the Taliban alone, but a residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.
The USA military said none of its personnel were hurt.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. It was the latest incident in a series of attacks believed to have orchestrated by the Taliban in a bid to destabilize the country’s government as USA troops are scaling down their presence.
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On Tuesday, Afghan officials said another US airstrike in Nangarhar province killed the second-highest official in the local Islamic State affiliate, Gul Zaman, and six others, including a ex- Pakistani Taliban spokesman.
