Religious students among dead in Afghan roadside blast

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan

A bomb attack killed at least 12 civilians, including seven students of a religious seminary, in southeastern Afghanistan on Thursday.

Provincial authorities in Paktika said the roadside blast took place in the Orgun district bordering Pakistan’s restive tribal belt.

Ilyas Wahdat, governor of the province, told Anadolu Agency most of the victims were civilians.

“Today around noon a passenger car hit the landmine, which led to the martyrdom of 12 people and many more [were] wounded. Seven among the dead are local madrasa [religious seminary] students,” he said.

The governor blamed the Taliban for planting the device, but the group has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, Gen. Khalilullah Ziayaee, the provincial police chief, also blamed the rebels for the attack.

The militant ‘Haqqani Network’ associated with the Taliban is active in this part of Afghanistan, and has staged some massive attacks here.

At least 42 civilians were killed and dozens injured in a suicide attack at a busy market in the same district during the summer of 2014.

This was followed by a deadlier incident during a volleyball match in the same province’s Yahya Khail district in November 2014 which claimed more than 60 lives.