Explosions in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad Wound Dozens on Independence Day

TEHRAN (IQNA) –  A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 34 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.

No group claimed responsibility for the 10 bombs but both Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) and the Taliban militants operate in the area.

Daesh claimed responsibility for a weekend bomb attack on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, in which 63 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded.

The Jalalabad bombs were planted near a market where hundreds of people had congregated after attending Independence Day events. Senior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 34 people were wounded, Reuters reported.

President Ashraf Ghani, in an Independence Day address in Kabul, called on the international community to stand with Afghanistan to eradicate the militants’ “nests”.

“Our fight against the Daesh will continue,” he said.

“The Taliban have laid the foundation for such brutal killings.”

Ghani did not refer in his speech to negotiations between the United States and the Taliban on a deal by which US troops can withdraw in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.

The United States also wants a Taliban commitment on power-sharing talks with Ghani’s government and a ceasefire. The Taliban have refused to talk to the government.