At least 14 killed as mortar hits packed Afghan market
At least 14 killed as mortar hits packed Afghan market
A mortar hit a market in Afghanistan killing at least 14 people.
2 min read
The Taliban has hit a market in northern Afghanistan [Getty-file photo]
Mortars hit a packed market in northern Afghanistan on Saturday has killed at least 14 people, the Afghan military has reported.
Dozens more wounded when Taliban shells hit the market Friday morning in the Khwaja Sabz Posh district of Faryab province, according to Hanif Rezaee, an Afghan army spokesman.
"Fourteen civilians were killed and 40 - including women and children - were wounded," Rezaee told AFP.
The Taliban were targeting an army checkpoint near the market, but accidentally hit the market, it is alleged. The Taliban group did not immediately comment.
Naem Musamim, Faryab's public health director, said 14 bodies and 39 wounded people including four children had been taken to local hospitals.
Some of the seriously injured were airlifted to hospitals in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province.
A bomb exploded inside a Shia mosque in Ghazni city in central Afghanistan on Friday, killing two worshippers and wounding 20 more, according to Ghazni governor spokesman Aref Noori.
Baz Mohammad Hemat, the director of Ghazni hospital, told AFP that one of those killed and 14 of the wounded were children.
The Islamic State group's Afghan affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack having conducted frequent attacks on Shia targets.
Dozens more wounded when Taliban shells hit the market Friday morning in the Khwaja Sabz Posh district of Faryab province, according to Hanif Rezaee, an Afghan army spokesman.
"Fourteen civilians were killed and 40 - including women and children - were wounded," Rezaee told AFP.
The Taliban were targeting an army checkpoint near the market, but accidentally hit the market, it is alleged. The Taliban group did not immediately comment.
Naem Musamim, Faryab's public health director, said 14 bodies and 39 wounded people including four children had been taken to local hospitals.
Some of the seriously injured were airlifted to hospitals in Mazar-i-Sharif in Balkh province.
A bomb exploded inside a Shia mosque in Ghazni city in central Afghanistan on Friday, killing two worshippers and wounding 20 more, according to Ghazni governor spokesman Aref Noori.
Baz Mohammad Hemat, the director of Ghazni hospital, told AFP that one of those killed and 14 of the wounded were children.
The Islamic State group's Afghan affiliate claimed responsibility for the attack having conducted frequent attacks on Shia targets.
The attacks come as Taliban and US negotiators met in a bid to bring about an end to the war.
An agreement with the Taliban is expected to have two main points - a US withdrawal from Afghanistan and a commitment the insurgents not to provide safe havens for terrorists.
On Sunday, the Taliban will meet in the Qatari capital with various representatives from Afghan society as part of a potential peace process.
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