KABUL: At least 15 civilians, including women and children, were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan’s central Daikundi province as violence continues despite peace talks.
Interior ministry spokesman Tareq Arian has informed seven women, five children and two men died when their vehicle detonated an explosive device. Three children were also wounded, he added, blaming the Taliban for the blast.
However, no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban has some level of influence in the district. The spokesman of Daikundi’s governor informed that the victims were traveling to a shrine when their minibus struck the bomb.
According to a UN report released in July, ‘deliberate attacks’ targeting civilians killed or wounded more than 800 civilians in Afghanistan during the first half of 2020.
The violence comes as Taliban and Afghan government negotiators are meeting in Doha, where they are trying to find a way to end 19 years of war. Meanwhile, the Taliban has failed to commit to a nationwide ceasefire despite ongoing peace talks in the Qatari capital Doha.
The blast came as the head of the Afghan peace process, Abdullah Abdullah, kicked off the second day of a three-day visit to Pakistan. During a meeting, Abdullah proclaimed that the ice has been broken at peace talks, which started September 12.
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