Global General

Blast kills over 40 at Afghan wedding party

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-06-10 14:35

KABUL - The death toll of the explosion that targeted a wedding party in Taliban birthplace Kandahar, south of Afghanistan has exceeded 40, including women and children, a press release of the Interior Ministry said Thursday.

"Preliminary information indicates that 40 innocent civilians were killed and 74 others sustained injuries in a suicide attack that rocked Arghandab district of Kandahar province on Wednesday night," the press release added.

The press release said that a suicide bomber blew himself up in a wedding party last night, killing and injuring 114 innocent civilians, adding an investigating team has been sent to investigate the tragic incident, which occurred at 09:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry blamed enemies of Afghanistan, a term used against Taliban militants, for the incident.

However, the Taliban outfit has not make any comment so far.

Kandahar, the birthplace of Taliban militants has been the scene of spiraling violent incidents over the past couple of years.

An earlier report on Wednesday night said 39 people were killed and 73 others sustained injured in the incident.

Afghan and NATO-led troops have been chalking out a military plan to crack down on Taliban hideouts, and the operation, according to military sources, would begin  in the coming weeks.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), also in a statement released Thursday, described it a coward terrorist act and condemned it.

"ISAF stands shoulder to shoulder with our Afghan partners, we will continue to drive the insurgents out of areas where they can hurt the Afghan people," said Gen. Nick Parker, Deputy Commander, International Security Assistance Force in the statement.  

There were no ISAF service members involved in the incident, ISAF statement stressed.