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5 civilians killed in explosion in N. Afghanistan

Xinhua, August 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

Five civilians were killed and three others wounded in an explosion in Afghanistan's northern province of Takhar on Saturday, provincial government spokesman said.

The blast occurred in Alqanaq locality, Darqad district at around midday after a passerby step on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) along a roadway, triggering the explosion, spokesman Senatullah Timor told Xinhua.

He said several children were among the victims.

The official blamed the "enemies of Afghanistan," a term referring to the Taliban militant group, for planting the IED.

The Taliban has been using IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians, according to military officials.

More than 3,540 civilians were killed and over 7,450 others injured in 2015 as the violence spreads in different places of the country, according to figures released by the UN mission officials.

Out of the casualties, 713 civilians were killed and more than 1,650 injured by IED attacks last year. Enditem