At least 18 civilians were killed and six wounded in a suicide car bomb attack near a military base in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Khost, authorities said.
The bomber detonated the explosives at a military roadblock near the entrance to Camp Chapman as people were rushing to get home for iftar, during the Ramadan fast.
-Faizullah Ghairat, the Khost city police chief
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban has often targeted Afghan and foreign troops.
Foreign troops including US soldiers are stationed at Camp Chapman alongside Afghan soldiers.
A statement from the NATO mission in Afghanistan said it was “aware” of the blast, but did not elaborate.
Apart from this, officials said at least two civilians had been killed in a roadside bomb blast, blaming the attack on the Taliban.
Four other Afghans and two police were wounded when a police vehicle hit the roadside bomb in Kunduz city, provincial police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Husseini told AFP.
Roadside bombs have been the Taliban’s weapon of choice in their war against foreign and Afghan security forces, now in its 14th year.
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