Islamabad: An explosion in a packed market in Kabul on Wednesday injured 11 people, including children, a non-governmental organization said. The source of the blast was not immediately clear and no one from the Taliban was available for comment. Emergency NGO, a humanitarian group that runs a surgical center in the Afghan capital, said the blast occurred at a second-hand clothing market in the Pamir Cinema district.
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Stefano Gennaro Smirnov, deputy country director of emergency in Afghanistan, said that the injured included a 3-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy. The condition of one person is critical. “The explosion occurred in the second-hand clothing market when it was open and people were crowding to go inside,” Smirnov said.
This is the Pamir Cinema neighbourhood, one of the most densely populated areas in Kabul. Many people affected by this attack will be living in conditions of severe poverty.
Extremists in Afghanistan have increased their attacks since the Taliban came to power in 2021, but their targets usually are the Taliban and people from the country’s Shia minority community.
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Achakzai Colony of Quetta hit by rocket attack
In a separate incident on Wednesday, rockets hit the wall of Achakzai residential colony on Khojak Road in Quetta, while two people were injured in a grenade attack in Khuzdar, Dawn reported. According to officials, three rockets were fired from an unknown location at the headquarters of Frontier Corps, North, on Hali Road in Quetta. However, they fell on Khojak Road, close to the FC headquarters and exploded.
“Three rockets exploded in the area, no casualties were reported in the attack,” a senior police officer told Dawn. He said that no rocket fell on the FC headquarters. A rocket hit the wall of Achakzai Colony and the windows of many houses were broken. After the rocket attack, security forces cordoned off the entire area and started a search operation.
