A massive car bomb struck the main city of eastern Afghanistan’s Logar province on Friday, killing at least 25 people and injuring scores more, local officials told the media.
The blast struck near what used to be the residence of the former provincial council leader in Pul-e Alam, but which has been repurposed for public use.
Provincial officials said that the driver of the bomb-laden truck had posed as a worker of an NGO looking to help locals, in order to gain access to the compound.
The explosion was so powerful that it caused the collapse of the building, killing at least 25 people, Hasib Stanekzai, head of Logar’s provincial council, said. Around 60 people were injured, he added.
The Interior Ministry said that 30 people were killed or wounded in the attack, warning that the death toll could rise further.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast, but violence has been on the rise in Afghanistan in recent weeks, particularly in the wake of US President Joe Biden’s announcement that American troops – deployed in the country for two decades – will withdraw from Afghanistan by September 11.
The new date pushes back the May 1 deadline which the administration of Biden’s predecessor, Donald Trump, had agreed with the Taliban during peace talks in February 2020.
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