At least 14 killed in suicide bombing at election rally in Afghanistan

In Afghanistan, at least 14 people were killed and 40 injured when a suicide bomber attacked an election rally in the eastern province of Nangarhar yesterday. Spokesman of the provincial governor, said a militant blew himself up at the rally of parliamentary candidate Abdul Nasir Mohmmand in Kama district. He said the force of the blast reportedly caused the ceiling to collapse on the crowd of about 250 people.  Some of the wounded were in critical condition, indicating the death toll could rise. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Campaigning for the 20th of October parliamentary election began last Friday, and there had been



threats of violence. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group have urged people to boycott the election.  The run-up to the vote has seen an increase in violence, with militants vowing to disrupt it.  More than 2,500 candidates are reportedly standing in the election.

In a separate attack, at least seven children were wounded when a bomb went off near a cricket pitch elsewhere in Nangarhar. The Spokesman said wounded children were all 10 to 14 years old, he added. The UN mission to Afghanistan condemned the attack on the rally and expressed concern about violence around the election campaign.