By Zabihullah Tamanna
KABUL, Afghanistan
At least 21 people were killed and 31 others injured in a suspected suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province Wednesday, an Afghan official said.
The attack occurred in a crowded market in the province's Almar district Wednesday when a bomber targeted military personnel patrolling through the district, where hundreds have recently been deployed to counter recent ground advances by Taliban fighters.
"The attack was carried out by an elderly suicide bomber using a motorbike at around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday in a busy bazaar of the district," Almar District Chief Mohammad Saleh Monshi told Anadolu Agency. "Two military personnel were among those killed, while 31 others, including soldiers, were wounded," Monshi added.
Most of the wounded civilians were villagers who had gone to the market for shopping following an unannounced cease-fire between Taliban and government forces to respect the Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Fitr.
"Several children were also wounded in the attack who belonged to the same families," Monshi said.
Taliban fighters backed by foreign militants have, according to local officials, managed to seize more than 100 villages in Faryab from Afghan security forces this month.
Hundreds of Afghan national security forces personnel have been deployed in the province as part of a large operation to push back against the Taliban.
Vice President General Abdul Rasheed Dostum visited the area to ask the Taliban to surrender within a week or expect a strong response.
Neither the Taliban nor any other group has claimed responsibility for the Wednesday's suicide attack in Faryab.
Also on Wednesday, suspected Taliban militants publically executed a tribal elder in southern Uruzgan province, an Afghan official said.
Abdul Karim Karimi, district governor for Khas Uruzgan, told Anadolu agency that the tribal elder, Haji Abbas, was kidnapped allegedly by the Taliban militants early morning from his village. His dead body was later found in a Taliban controlled area.
“Taliban executed Malik Abbas (village leader) of Shadeedan village at 9:30 am this morning in Shekhi area,” Karimi said. “Haji Abbas was a pro-government element but he served his people all the time,” he added.
In a similar incident, Taliban allegedly killed a cleric of a mosque, Mullah Abdul Sattar, in Almar district’s Bukhari Qaleh village Friday night after dragging him out of his home. Sattar had reportedly blamed the Taliban for killing innocent people and defaming Islam in the world.
Taliban has been targeting government staff and pro-government civilians as part of their targeted killings in the past years. Several judges, prosecutors, council members and tribal elders have been killed by militants without declaring any reason.
