Dostum flays killing of highway commander in blast

Monitoring Desk

KABUL: The first vice president of Afghanistan General Abdul Rashid Dostum strongly condemned the explosion in Mazar-e-Sharif city, the provincial capital of northern Balkh province.

A statement by the office of the first vice president said the explosion targeted the vehicle of the commander of Maimana-Almar highway commander Sakhi Mohammad Qateh. Dostum blamed the enemies of the country behind the explosion that left commander Qateh dead and offered his condolences to the family of the deceased.

No individual or group has so far claimed responsibility behind the incident.

A security official confirmed that the incident took place due to a magnetic bomb explosion at around 11 am local time.

The source further added that a magnetic bomb planted in a Hilux type vehicle went off close to Noor roundabout, leaving one dead and two others wounded.

No further details were given regarding the identities of those killed in the explosion and it is yet not clear if the victims had any links with the government or security institutions.

Balkh is among the relatively calm provinces in northern parts of Afghanistan where insurgency related incidents are reported.

However, the anti-government armed militants have stepped up their efforts to destabilize some parts of the province, specifically attempting to expand their insurgency in some remote districts of the province.