wounding 38 amid other Taliban assaults in the area, authorities said.
No
one immediately claimed responsibility for the powerful blast in Faryab
province's Almar district, but suspicion immediately fell on the
Taliban. Overnight, there had been an Afghan military operation
targeting the insurgents in the same district.
The
attack happened on a weekly shopping day for the area, meaning the
market teemed with shoppers and soldiers protecting it when the bomber
detonated his explosive vest, police said.
The
"target of the attacker was military forces that were present in the
area but the majority of the victims were innocent civilians," deputy
provincial police chief Baryalia Basharyar said.
Both
Abdul Satar Barez, the acting provincial governor, and Sayed Masoud
Yaqiubi, a spokesman for the provincial police chief, gave the
casualties figures. Barez also said he feared the final death toll may
be higher as many among the wounded were in critical condition.
The
United Nations Mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack, saying it
showed insurgents' "appalling disregard for human life."Taliban insurgents have stepped up their attacks on Afghan soldiers and police in recent months. U.S. and NATO troops formally ended their combat mission at the end of last year, leaving Afghan forces in charge of security in the country.
In
neighboring Zawzjan province, a patrol of the security forces belonging
to the country's first vice president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, also came
under attack late Tuesday night, said Sultan Faizy, a spokesman for the
official. Faziy said that one insurgent was killed and a second attacker
arrested after he was wounded by security forces.
Source: AP
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