ASADABAD – A suicide attack ripped through a gathering of elders in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing 10 people including five children, officials said.
The bomber struck in Kunar, one of Afghanistan’s most restive provinces and an insurgent stronghold on the border with Pakistan. “A suicide attacker targeted a gathering of tribal elders in the Asmar district of Kunar today,” interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary told AFP.
“Ten people have been martyred and seven others have been injured,” he added, saying the dead included a key local pro-government elder. The education ministry said five of the dead were school children aged between seven and 15. The district police chief, Mohammad Shoaib, said the bomber blew himself up after greeting the pro-government elder, Malik Zarin, with a hug. “The suicide attacker approached them, hugged Malik Zarin and then detonated the explosives strapped to his body,” Shoaib said.
