KABUL – A suicide bomber blew himself up in a city in eastern Afghanistanwhere President Ashraf Ghani was visiting, killing at least 19 people, manyof them Sikhs, officials said Sunday, in the latest violence to rock thecountry.

The attacker struck a market located hundreds of metres from the provincialgovernor’s compound where Ghani was holding meetings, governor spokesmanAttaullah Khogyani told AFP.

Among the 19 dead were 12 Sikhs and Hindus, he told AFP. Another 20 peoplewere wounded.

There were scenes of anguish at the hospital where grieving relatives weptand hugged each other as they waited for news of their loved ones.

“It is over for us, we are finished, they have massacred us, at least 10 ofus,” a man told AFP, too upset to give his name.

Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal confirmed 19 people had beenkilled, the majority of them Sikhs.

Small communities of Sikhs and Hindus reside in what is otherwise anoverwhelmingly Muslim nation. It is not clear if they were the intendedtarget of the attack.

Interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish confirmed a suicide bomber carriedout the attack — the latest in a series of recent deadly assaults in therestive province.

Ghani’s spokesman said the president was still in Nangarhar but was “awayfrom danger”.

Ghani arrived in Jalalabad earlier Sunday to open a hospital, part of atwo-day visit to the province bordering Pakistan.

– Ceasfire ends –

The attack came a day after Ghani ordered Afghan security forces to resumeoffensive operations against the Taliban following the expiration of thegovernment’s 18-day ceasefire.

The government’s unilateral truce overlapped with the Taliban’s three-dayceasefire for Eid, but the militants refused to prolong it.

The unprecedented ceasefire over the holiday capping Ramadan triggeredspontaneous street celebrations involving Taliban fighters, securityforces, and war-weary civilians.

But it was marred by two suicide attacks in Nangarhar that killed dozens ofpeople and were claimed by the Islamic State group, which has a smaller butrelatively potent presence in Afghanistan.

IS was not part of the ceasefire.

The attack comes as US envoy Alice Wells visits Kabul as part of efforts toratchet up pressure on the Taliban to engage in peace talks.

The Taliban have so far ignored Ghani’s offer of peace negotiations.Instead, they have insisted on direct talks with the United States, whichWashington has repeatedly refused.

Wells said that since the Afghan government and United States were willingto start talking without preconditions, the onus was now on the Taliban torespond.

“Right now it’s the Taliban leaders… who aren’t residing in Afghanistan,who are the obstacle to a negotiated political settlement,” Wells said inremarks embargoed until Sunday.

Wells, who is due to hold talks in Pakistan on Monday, said Islamabad alsoneeded to do more to squeeze the Taliban and get them to the negotiatingtable.

“Pakistan has an important role to play… but we have not yet seen thatsustained and decisive action on the part of Islamabad,” she said. – APP/AFP