MOSCOW, November 24 (Sputnik) – In a bombing attack across Afghanistan two NATO troops and at least six civilians were killed. In a statement, NATO said the troops had been killed by an "enemy attack in eastern Afghanistan." It did not identify the nationalities of the dead, as the coalition is waiting for their respective home countries to make the announcement, reports AFP.
A spokesman for Kabul's police chief, Hashmat Stanekzai, said the troops were killed when a bomb attached to a bicycle exploded near a foreign military convoy in the eastern part of the capital Monday morning. He added that the blast wounded one Afghan civilian.
Another bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded in a crowded market in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province, killing six people and wounding at least five, police spokesman Sarwar Hussaini told AFP.
Meanwhile, dozens of victims of a Sunday evening suicide bombing in the eastern province of Paktika were flown overnight via helicopter to a military hospital in Kabul to be treated, reports LA Times.
In addition to the 60 people who were killed, 60 more were injured in the blast in Paktika in one of this year’s deadliest bombing in Afghanistan.
The Afghan authorities are trying to identify the group responsible, intelligence agency has blamed the Haqqani network; a Pakistan-based armed group aligned with the Taliban, for a suicide bombing that occured on Sunday, as reported by Al-jazeera.
Charles Stratford confirmed that authorities have blamed the Haqqani network for the attack, but noted that the group has not yet claimed responsibility, reported Al-Jazeera.
"What we know about the Haqqani network is that they are based in Pakistan and they do operate across the borders, they have strong ties with the Taliban and al-Qaeda and have launched some of the most devastating attacks here in Afghanistan in recent years."
Haseeb Sediqi, spokesman for the National Directorate of Security in Afghanistan said, “We will release more information shortly," reported Al-Jazeera.