News / Afghanistan

Blast kills three in northern Afghanistan

Friday, 20 January 2017 4:45 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 20 January 2017 4:45 PM ]

The photo taken on January 10, 2017, shows Afghan policemen standing guard at the site of an explosion near the governor's compound in Kandahar. (Photo by AFP)

At least three people have been killed in an explosion after a game of buzkashi, or polo with a carcass, in Afghanistan's northern province of Balkh.

An improvised explosive device (IED) reportedly caused the blast that apparently targeted the anti-Taliban militiaman, Haji Zmarai, who was attending the match in Khulm district on Friday.

Balkh deputy police chief Abdul Razaq Qaderi said, "An IED was detonated outside the venue of a buzkashi match, killing three people and wounding four others."

"The explosion happened just as people were leaving after the match," he added.

The attack left Zmarai and his bodyguard and another civilian dead.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban militant group is suspected of involvement. There has been no official word on the blast, either.

The Taliban militants lost their grip over Afghanistan after the 2001 US-led invasion, but security has never taken hold in the country despite the presence of foreign boots on the Afghan soil.

The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has also gained a foothold in Afghanistan and is competing with the Taliban in acts of terror. Daesh has claimed responsibility for earlier attacks on Shia events and mosques.

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