5 civilians injured in eastern Afghan blast

Five Afghan civilians, including a child, were wounded in a bomb attack in the eastern Laghman province on Sunday, said the provincial government.

"A sticky Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attached to a private vehicle was detonated in Ali Shing district's bazaar at around midday, injuring five innocent civilians," it said in a statement.

Among the injured people was a 10-year-old girl and the injured were shifted to a main hospital in provincial capital of Mehtarlam, the statement added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.

The anti-government militants use IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians.

On Saturday, 11 children were wounded after one victim step on a pressure-plate IED along a road in neighboring Nangarhar province.

More than 3,490 civilians were killed and over 7,920 others injured in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan last year, according to figures released by the UN mission in the country.

The IED explosions are the third largest cause of civilian casualties in Afghanistan, following ground engagements and suicide attacks.

source: Xinhua