12th July, 2019
Tragedy struck on Friday when a suicide bomber on foot targeted a wedding party in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar, killing at least five people and injuring 40 others, local officials said.
Atahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar province’s governor, said a thirteen-year-old boy set off his explosives inside the house of a pro-government militia commander in Pacheragam District.
Khogyani said 40 injured victims were rushed to hospital, but local residents put the figure of those that died at 10.
Pro-government militias often work with overstretched Afghan security forces to prevent territories falling into the hands of the Taliban and Islamic State fighters.
In June, Taliban militants killed at least 26 members of a pro-government militia in northern Afghanistan.
No group has however, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Islamic State militants have carried a string of suicide bombings and attacks on government offices, schools, and aid groups in recent years in Jalalabad, Nangarhar’s main city.