12 killed in roadside bombings in Afghanistan

KABUL: At least 12 civilians were killed in twin roadside bomb blasts in Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday, blaming the attacks on the Taliban as the militants intensify their summer offensive.

The bomb exploded at a military roadblock near the entrance to Forward Operating Base Chapman, also known as Camp Chapman, while people were rushing to get home for iftar, said Faizullah Ghairat, the Khost city police chief.

“We counted 18 dead and six wounded”, said a doctor at a hospital in Khost city Sunday.

A total of 30 civilians were killed in two separate bomb attacks in two provinces of Afghanistan Sunday, officials said.

According to Police, four civilians were killed while three others were injured when a vehicle hit road side bomb in the Tagan district of Afghanistan.

Khan says foreign troops have blocked off all access to the area where the attack happened.

A statement from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation mission in Afghanistan said it was “aware” of the blast, but did not elaborate on the incident.

No group immediately claimed responsibilities for the attacks, but the Taliban frequently uses roadside bombs and suicide attacks to target Afghan army or police forces across the country. It’s not clear whether the Central Intelligence Agency still operates out of Camp Chapman.