ALBAWABA - According to local officials, a suicidal bombing killed at least three people and injured at least 12 outside a bank in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan earlier today.
Inamullah Samangani, Director of Information and Culture of Kandahar province, spoke to AFP: "A suicide attack occurred in which three compatriots were killed and 12 others were wounded, according to preliminary information,".
The explosion targeted a group of people waiting outside the New Kabul Bank branch in Kandahar at around 8:00 am.
Abdul Mateen Qani, a spokesman for the Taliban Interior Ministry, confirmed the incident but did not provide further details. He stated that a probe has been launched into the motive behind the attack.
All of the victims were people who had gathered at the branch of New Kabul Bank to collect their monthly salaries said Samangani. "Commonly our compatriots gather there to collect their salaries. Victims were civilians".
Samangani stated that "the situation is under control" at one of the city's hospitals where the injured were brought, disputing that the need for blood donations was urgent, as reported on social media.
Firefighters and security officials were cleaning up the scene, which was covered with blood, clothing pieces, and shoes. Hospitals did not answer to AFP's calls for information, claiming they had been instructed not to speak with the media.
Afghanistan has witnessed a remarkable decline in bomb blasts and suicidal attacks since Taliban claimed power in Afghanistan and ousted the US-backed government in August 2021.
