Roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan kills 14, 45 injured: Report

The bomb attack comes at a time when violence and chaos have increased in the country in recent months, even as the government negotiators and the Taliban are meeting in Qatar to find a solution to permanently end decades of relentless war.
Fourteen people were killed in central Afghanistan on Tuesday after two roadside bomb exploded in quick succession. At least 13 people and a traffic policeman were killed as the bombs exploded, officials told news agency Associated Press.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian said 45 people were wounded when the bombs went off late in the afternoon in Bamiyan city in Bamiyan province. Several shops and vehicles were destroyed due to the explosion, said the report.
A spokesperson for the provincial police chief in Bamiyan, Mohammad Reza Yusuofi, said two bombs exploded in quick succession.
Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai has condemned the incident in a tweet. He said, “I condemn in the strongest terms the heinous explosion at a marketplace in Bamyan city, which killed and wounded our compatriots. Given the recent developments in the peace process, I call on the Afghan sides to accelerate their efforts to end the foreign-imposed conflict and work together to bring lasting peace to our suffering people.”
No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the report said and added that the Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, has said the group was not involved.
It may, however, be noted that the Islamic State group affiliate in Afghanistan has declared war on the country’s minority Shiite Muslims. Bamiyan is a province with a Shiite Muslim majority population.
The bomb attack comes at a time when violence and chaos have increased in the country in recent months, even as the government negotiators and the Taliban are meeting in Qatar to find a solution to permanently end decades of relentless war. However, little progress has been made
Earlier, the IS affiliate claimed responsibility for some recent attacks in Afghanistan, including two assaults on education institutions that killed at least 50 people. Most were students.