KABUL – The death toll from a suicide attack on Afghan protesters hassoared to 68, officials said Wednesday, as violence flares across thecountry ahead of elections and a key Islamic holy day.
The bombing on Tuesday in the eastern province of Nangarhar was the latestin a wave of deadly insurgent attacks which has claimed the lives ofhundreds of civilians and security forces across Afghanistan.
The blast wounded another 165 people, provincial governor spokesmanAtaullah Khogyani said.
There has been no claim of responsibility for the massacre, but the IslamicState group, which has carried out most of the recent suicide bombings inAfghanistan, is active in the province.
The Nangarhar health department confirmed the toll.
Scores of demonstrators had blocked the highway between the provincialcapital of Jalalabad and a major Pakistan border crossing in protest overthe appointment of a local police chief when the suicide bomber blewhimself up.
The dead and wounded were rushed to several hospitals in the back of pickuptrucks and ambulances, overwhelming doctors and nurses as they struggled tocope with the huge number of casualties.
Zar Khan, one of the injured, told AFP he saw a young man get out of a carand run towards the protesters shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is greatest).
“Then the explosion happened and I found myself surrounded by blood andflesh,” Khan said from his hospital bed.
It was the deadliest attack since an ambulance packed with explosivesdetonated in a crowded street in the heart of Kabul in January, killingmore than 100 people, mostly civilians. That bombing was claimed by theTaliban.
Violence across the country has intensified in recent weeks as the Talibanmake gains on the battlefield and IS launches deadly urban attacks.
It comes as Afghanistan enters a typically violent period of the year –the holy month of Muharram, which began on Tuesday.
Ashura, the most important Shiite observance, falls on the 10th day ofMuharram and is often marred by deadly attacks.
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– Peace hopes fading –
The fighting has tempered optimism that had been tentatively growing asAfghan and international players ratchet up efforts to convince the Talibanto negotiate an end to the 17-year conflict.
An unprecedented ceasefire in June followed by talks between US officialsand Taliban representatives in Qatar in July raised hopes that peacenegotiations could bring an end to the fighting.
There has been speculation the two sides will meet again this month.
The Taliban have long insisted on direct talks with Washington and refusedto negotiate with the Afghan government, which they see as illegitimate.
The intensified fighting has also fuelled speculation over whetherAfghanistan’s long-delayed parliamentary elections will go ahead on October20.
The country’s stretched security forces will be tasked with protectingthousands of polling stations around the country at a time when they arealready struggling to beat back insurgents.
Delivering ballot papers and monitoring the vote, which is seen as a testrun for next year’s presidential election, will be challenging, officialshave warned.
There are already concerns about widespread fraud.
In recent days, Taliban fighters killed nearly 60 members of the securityforces in a spate of attacks in the country’s north, and threatened aprovincial capital for the second time in as many months. – APP/AFP
