Official: Roadside explosion kills 8 civilians in Afghanistan

An Afghan official said a roadside explosion has killed at least eight civilians in northern Baghlan province on November 4. Provincial police chief's spokesperson Jawed Basharat has said that six other people have been wounded in the attacks in the Dand Shabuddin area on the outskirts of Puli Khumri which is the provincial capital of Baghlan.

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Taliban tend to have a strong presence in the area

Basharat said that the casualties include women and children. It is believed that the area of the explosion is under Taliban control and no group has so far claimed the responsibility for the attack. The Taliban tend to have a strong presence in the area and generally targets Afghan security forces in and around Puli Khumri which results in the killing of a huge number of civilians in the attacks. The insurgents attacked Puli Khumri and encroached the city's main highway to Kabul for more than a week in September. Over half of Afghanistan is controlled by the Taliban today.

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A similar incident in Afghanistan

Just two days ago, an Afghan official said eight children have been killed by a roadside bomb near their school in the northeastern Takhar province. The provincial police chief, Sayed Mehraj Sadat, said that the victims of Saturday's attacks were from 10 to 15 years old. He said that the bomb was intended to target the Afghan security forces who usually take the road.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Sadat blamed the Taliban group whose presence is active in the Takhar province particularly in Darqad district where the attack took place. Taliban has earlier attacked several districts including the provincial capital Taluqan from where the Afghan security forces withdrew. The peace talks between the US and the Taliban ended in September after US President Donald Trump declared to take proper actions against the insurgents.

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