8 dead, 15 injured in Kunduz landmine blast

KUNDUZ CITY (Pajhwok): Eight people, including two female seminary students, were killed and 15 others wounded on Monday afternoon when a bomb blast ripped through a crowded market in northern Kunduz province, police said.

The blast took place in the Dasht-i-Archi district near the district’s main square at about 4:30pm, killing five people, including two female students of a religious school and, and injuring 15 others, including students, police said.

Police spokesman Syed Sarwar Hussaini told Pajhwok Afghan News initial investigation showed five people, including two females, had been killed and several others wounded in the blast. He said the target of the blast was not immediately known, but police were investigating.

An eyewitness and student of the religious school, Abdul Ghafoor, said the target was an Afghan National Army (ANA)’s vehicle parked in the area. However, he said the ANA vehicle stayed safe.

“When we came out of classes, the blast occurred, killing two female students, a clinic doctor and two others men,” he said, adding students were among the 15 others wounded in the blast.

Local officials said the injured had been taken to the district hospital, but they had no information about the extent of their injuries.

Dr. Obaidullah at the district health clinic told Pajhwok Afghan News they had been delivered eight dead bodies and nine injured people from the scene. The dead included two females and six men, he said.

The doctor said the condition of some wounded people was critical. He said the exact number of those injured in the blast was not known because some of the injured had been taken to the provincial civil hospital in Kunduz City.

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