1st LD: 3 killed, around 50 injured as mortars hit Afghan city on Independence Day

At least three persons were killed and about 50 others wounded on Thursday in a mortar attack in Asadabad city, capital of Afghanistan's eastern province of Kunar, as the country celebrated the Independence Day, sources said.

The attack occurred in the morning after two mortar rounds fired by militants struck near the provincial government office building in the mountainous province, 185 km east of Afghan capital of Kabul.

"A celebration was underway in the governor office building to mark the Independence Day. At around 10:30 a.m. local time, two mortars struck near the building, causing two children and a man killed and 50 others wounded," a security source told Xinhua anonymously.

The attack by the "enemies of Afghanistan" aimed to disturb the celebration, the source said while blaming the Taliban for the attack.

"The initial reports found three persons were martyred and 49 wounded. The injured were shifted by the security forces and rescue teams to hospitals. The number of casualties may go up as some of the injured remained in critical conditions," Wahidullah Kalimzai, the provincial governor, told Xinhua.

The war-torn Afghanistan on Thursday marked the 97th anniversary of its independence from the British occupation by holding meetings and celebrations across the country amid tight security. Enditem