Afghanistan: bombs in a market in Helmand province, at least 23 dead

2020-06-29T12:49:58.214Z

At least 23 people, including some children, were killed by a car bomb explosion and mortar shells that hit a livestock market in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province. This was reported by the provincial governor's office. The attack has not been claimed, but there is an exchange of accusations between the government and the Taliban. The dead are civilians according to Afghan officials who blamed the Taliban for the attack, as reported by some local media: "This morning at 9:30 am (7:00 am Italian), the Taliban caused two explosions in the district market. Sangin in Helmand province. Unfortunately, 23 civilians were killed and 15 injured, "said the Afghan military command in a statement cited by the Tolo agency. The army later reported that two Taliban fighters also died in the attack. The death toll was also confirmed by the Helmand governorate. When asked by the AFP agency, an insurgent spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, however, accused the authorities of being behind the explosions and categorically excluded any involvement of the Taliban in the incident. The warring parties blame each other for the attack on the weekly open-air livestock market in the Sangin district, where hundreds of inhabitants of nearby districts had gathered to trade sheep and goats. The details cannot be independently confirmed since the area, which is under the control of the Taliban, is inaccessible to journalists. The Taliban claim that the military fired mortar rounds at the market while the military said a car bomb went off and bullets targeted civilians. A witness, Khushakyar, who has only one name, said, according to reports from the Reuters agency, that he was trying to sell a calf when rockets hit the market. He said his twins were killed and his son was injured. "I saw about 20 bodies on the ground," he said, adding that dozens of people were injured and "the livestock lies dead next to the men." Some residents of Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold, said the bombing occurred during fierce clashes between Taliban militants and government security forces in the residential areas surrounding the market. More than 500 civilians have been killed and 760 others have been injured due to fighting in Afghanistan in the first three months of 2020, said the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in April.