5 dead in suicide blast at Afghan wedding – official

JALALABAD, Afghanistan – Five people were killed and dozens more wounded Friday, July 12, when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding ceremony in eastern Afghanistan, an official told AFP.

The Taliban, who have pledged to try to reduce civilian casualties, denied responsibility for the blast in Nangarhar province. 

The area close to the Pakistan border is teeming with other insurgent organisations including the Islamic State group, who have carried out previous attacks.

“This morning at 8:00 am (0330 GMT), a suicide bomber detonated himself at a wedding ceremony”, Attaullah Khogyani, the Nangarhar governor’s spokesman, told AFP.

“As a result, 5 killed, more than 40 wounded.”

Zahir Adil, the Nangarhar regional hospital spokesman, told AFP that two bodies and 11 wounded victims had been taken to the hospital in central Nangarhar city.

The explosion comes just days after historic talks between Afghan representatives and the Taliban wrapped up as part of a US-led effort to end the war.

At the conclusion of the two-day summit in Doha, parties unveiled a joint resolution pledging a “roadmap for peace” in which they sought to reduce civilian casualties to “zero”.

Direct talks between US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban also took place last week. – Rappler.com