Kingdom condemns bomb attack on bus in Afghanistan

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain has condemned the terrorist bombing of a bus for security forces in Jalalabad, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which resulted in the death and injury of dozens of soldiers and civilians. The Ministry expressed its sincere condolences to the families of the victims, and wishes a speedy recovery to all those injured.

It reaffirmed the Kingdom of Bahrain’s solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in its efforts to combat terrorism, and reiterated the Kingdom’s unequivocal position that rejects violence, extremism and terrorism in all its forms, calling for intensifying international co-operation to eliminate terrorism and all those who support or fund it. 

At least ten people were killed in the attack. Ataullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, said the attack in Jalalabad city wounded 27 other people. The bomb was placed in a rickshaw and detonated when the army bus arrived. “A number of the wounded people are in critical condition,” said Khogyani.

He added that after the first blast, security forces successfully defused a couple of other bombs in the same area. No one immediately claimed the attack, but both Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, and especially the Nangarhar province.