Eight killed in bomb blasts during a cricket match in Afghanistan
Several bombs exploded nearly simultaneously at a cricket match in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, killing at least eight people, a provincial official said Saturday.
Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, said about 45 others were wounded at the sports stadium late Friday night in the provincial capital Jalalabad.
The attack happened as hundreds of spectators gathered for a night-time tournament during the holy month of Ramadan. Khogyani said the deputy provincial mayor of neighbouring Laghman province and the main organizer of the tournament were among those killed.
In a statement, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack, saying that carrying out such an attack during the holy month proved once again that terrorists are not true believers of any religion or faith and "are enemies of humanity."
The three bombs exploded nearly at the same time, Khogyani said.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.
