At least 27 people were killed in a major explosion by a car bomb in the eastern Afghan province of Logar. Dozens of people were injured. Authorities say the blast was at a guest house in the county seat of Puli Alam. At that time, the guests were eating iftar after fasting during the day for Ramadan.
The dead include high school students who traveled to the city to take a university entrance exam. A group of police officers was also killed in the explosion. There may be more bodies under the rubble of the hospital, the authorities think.
There has been a lot of damage around the affected guest house, including to homes and a hospital. The roofs of several houses have collapsed. An as yet unknown number of people are buried under rubble and aid workers try to free them. Images shared on social media show people being pulled out from under the debris.
Withdrawal of troops
It is still unclear who is responsible for the attack. A Taliban spokesman tells Reuters news agency to investigate the matter. It is also not yet known why the guesthouse was the target of the attack.
Today, the United States and NATO are starting to withdraw their military personnel, who must have left completely by September 11. Violence has intensified in Afghanistan since the withdrawal of troops was announced.
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