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1st LD Writethru: 17 civilians injured in eastern Afghan blast: official

Xinhua, October 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least 17 civilians were wounded after a blast ripped through a district in Sharan, capital of the Afghan eastern province of Paktika on Wednesday, a local official said.

"An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in a stall was detonated along a road in first police district of the city. The blast which occurred in the morning caused 17 civilians injured," Bakhatyar Gul Zadran, head of the provincial council, told Xinhua.

The injured were shifted to hospitals in the city, 155 km south of the Afghan capital Kabul and none of the wounded received life-threatening injuries, according to local officials.

Security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

The official blamed the Taliban militants for attacking civilians as no military installation was located near the blast site.

The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of conflicts and war as more than 2,560 civilians were killed and over 5,830 injured in the first nine months of the year across Afghanistan, according to the latest figures released by UN mission in the country.

Ground engagements have remained the largest cause of civilian casualties, followed by suicide attacks and IED explosions. Endit