6 civilians dead in Afghanistan landmine blast

KABUL, Afghanistan

At least six people were killed in a landmine explosion in Afghanistan’s northern Kunduz province, an official confirmed on Saturday.

A tractor trolley carrying civilians hit a landmine planted by the Taliban in the Ramazani area of Ali Abad district, according to Hijratullah Akbari, a spokesperson for the provincial police force.

The Taliban have yet to comment on the incident.

Kunduz, which borders Tajikistan, remains one of Afghanistan’s most volatile provinces, with the Taliban having significant clout in several of its districts.

The provincial capital, Kunduz city, briefly fell to the Taliban twice in the past three years.

Violence has flared up across Afghanistan since the landmark intra-Afghan talks began in Qatar’s capital Doha earlier this month.

According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, at least 19 civilians were killed and 45 more injured in 11 clashes between Sept. 12 and Sept. 19.

The escalation continues despite President Ashraf Ghani’s repeated calls for a complete cease-fire.

“The Afghan people have a clear and urgent priority: a cease-fire. An urgent end to the violence will, more than anything else, give us a chance to progress,” he said in his address to the 75th UN General Assembly on Thursday.

Ghani stressed that a “democratically stable and prosperous Afghanistan will be an example of how the collective will can overcome turmoil and uncertainty.”