Taliban suicide attacks on Tuesday in Parwan and Kabul provinces killed at least 48 people and wounded scores others mostly civilians.
The first attack happened at the entrance of an election rally organized by President Ashraf Ghani’s electoral team in Charikar, the capital of central Parwan province.
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said in a statement late on Tuesday that a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle packed with explosive detonated himself close to a campaign rally which had just begun.
The statement said that at least 26 people, including four military personnel, were killed and 42 civilians wounded in the incident.
“At 11:40am, a suicide bomber on a motorbike detonated himself among civilians in first police district of Charikar,” the statement read, adding that women and children were among the victims.
Though President Ghani and some of his team’s senior officials participated in the rally, but none of them got hurt.
In a separate incident in capital Kabul, 22 people were killed and 38 others were wounded.
The ministry of interior said in a second statement that the indent happened in 9th police district.
“A suicide bomber detonated his explosives on a road used by ordinary people. Twenty two people, including six military personnel, were martyred and 38 innocent people were wounded,” the statement read.
According to the statement women and children were among those killed and wounded.
The MoI statement says that the Taliban have been hit hard on the battlefield facing defeat on every frontline, and are therefore brutally targeting civilians.
Taliban took the responsibility for both attacks. The group claimed that they inflicted heavy causalities on Afghan forces.
The Presidential Palace condemned the bombings, calling them barbaric and inhumane.
“The Taliban continue to perpetrate heinous crimes and take responsibility for them,” the statement said.
Citing President Ghani, the press release said that Taliban are the main enemies of “Our Republic” and reiterated that a nationwide presidential election will take place and the Afghan people will head to the polls and determine their political destiny by themselves.
