‘Many dead’ in Afghan market blast

Semiu Salami
Semiu Salami
Explosion

At least 40 people have been killed in a car bomb explosion at a busy market in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province, army sources say.

Officials say the attacker drove a 4×4 vehicle into the market in Orgun district and detonated the explosives.

The market was crowded, full of people doing their shopping at the time of the attack.

The eastern province of Paktika shares a border with Pakistan’s restive and volatile tribal areas.

There have been no claims yet for Tuesday’s attack.

Orgun is one of Paktika’s safest areas, though members of the Haqqani militant network are thought to have a presence there.

A spokesman for Afghanistan’s defence ministry told the BBC’s Bilal Sarwary that soldiers had recovered 40 bodies from the rubble.

“Our soldiers are still trying to recover bodies. Almost all of the shops have fallen,” General Zahir Azimi said.

Eyewitnesses described seeing police and security forces pursuing the attacker before he entered the busy market and detonated the explosives.

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