At least 16 people were killed and another 38 wounded Tuesday when a container full of explosives blew up even as security forces were trying to defuse it in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, an official source told EFE.

The explosion occurred around 12 noon local time at a car repair shop in Kandahar, capital of the province with the same name, and caused significant material damage, according to provincial governor spokesperson Dawood Ahmadi. </s> At least 16 Killed, 38 Wounded in Kandahar Explosion

A vehicle, packed with explosives detonated in the capital of southern Kandahar province on Tuesday, sources confirmed.

The explosion took place on Tuesday afternoon at around 12:30 pm in Kandahar City’s PD4.

The provincial governor Tooryalai Wesa said that at least 16 people were killed and 38 others wounded in the explosion.

According to Wesa, the death toll is expected to rise.

Sources told Ariana News that the explosives were detonated before they could be defused by the security forces.

Initial reports indicate, about 30 people were killed or injured in the incident.

No group including the Taliban or Danish immediately claimed responsibility for the incident. </s> Sixteen people were killed in Afghanistan’s Kandahar city on Tuesday when a vehicle packed with explosives was detonated before those could be defused, reported TOLO News. Among those killed, four were security forces personnel.

Daud Ahmadi, the spokesperson for the governor of Kandahar province, said 38 people, including five children and six members of the security forces, were injured in the explosion, reported AP.

The police and intelligence officers had cleared the area around a bus station where the van was found, said Ahmadi, according to AFP. “As the security forces were trying to defuse the [explosives in the] van, it detonated,” said police spokesperson Mohammad Qasim Azad.

Ahmadi said security forces also found a large container of explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, suicide vests and ammunition near the site. An unidentified security official told AFP that the “terrorists planned to conduct a big attack” in Kandahar at the end of Ramzan.

President Ashraf Ghani praised the bravery of the intelligence and security forces for attempting to foil the bombing.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. On Monday, 14 police personnel were killed after the Taliban attacked security forces in eastern Afghanistan’s Ghazni province. </s> At least 16 people were killed and 38 wounded when a vehicle packed with explosives detonated in southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan on Tuesday, authorities said. Security forces were trying to defuse an explosives-laden van in the southern Kandahar province at the time of the blast. The casualties were high despite the area around a bus station where the van was parked had been cleared.

Provisional governor spokesman Daud Ahmadi, confirming the toll, said that the dead included four security forces personnel. At least five children and 10 members of the security forces were among the wounded. No group has immediately claimed responsibility.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> At least 16 people have been killed in southern Afghanistan when security forces tried to dispose of a container full of explosives in the city of Kandahar, officials said.

Nematullah Barak, head of Mirwais hospital in Kandahar, said the latest figures "show 16 dead and 38 wounded people brought to the hospital".

"We still have two ambulances at the site because there might be more people under the rubble," he told AFP news agency.

Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for the provincial governor, confirmed the death toll and said four security forces were among those killed.

At least five small children were wounded in the explosion, he said.

Dozens of shops and nearby homes were destroyed or damaged, and the death toll could rise, he said.

Abdul Saleh, 29, who was wounded in the blast, said the sound was "so loud, like strong thunder".

He told The Associated Press that he was knocked unconscious and later woke up in a hospital bed.

There was some confusion about the cause of the explosion, which sent a huge cloud of dust and smoke into the air.

Officials initially said it was caused by a bomb packed into a minibus but later said the explosives were in two containers stored in an area of mechanics workshops.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

The blast was quickly condemned by President Ashraf Ghani, who praised the "brave" officers who dealt with it.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, the Taliban launched a wave of attacks late on Monday in the eastern Ghazni province, killing at least 14 police, including a district police chief and a reserve unit's commander, according to provincial council member Hassan Reza Yusoufi.

Hundreds of people have been killed in high-profile attacks carried out by the Taliban and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group since the beginning of this year.

At least 11 Afghan schoolchildren were killed in Kandahar province last month when a suicide car bomber hit a convoy of Romanian troops patrolling the area as part of the US-led NATO forces.

In one of the deadliest attacks, at least 29 people, including nine journalists, were killed after two explosions claimed by the ISIL hit the capital, Kabul, last month.

An increase in attacks has been observed ahead of the long-delayed parliamentary and district council elections scheduled for October 20. </s> KANDAHAR: According to the information given by the officials, minimum of 16 people were killed and 38 wounded when a minivan stuffed with explosives detonated as security forces were trying to defuse it in southern Afghanistan. Security forces in Kandahar had already cleared the area around a bus station where the van was found, provincial governor spokesman Daud Ahmadi said. “As the security forces were trying to defuse the van, it detonated,” said police spokesman Mohammad Qasim Azad. The blast…

KANDAHAR: According to the information given by the officials, minimum of 16 people were killed and 38 wounded when a minivan stuffed with explosives detonated as security forces were trying to defuse it in southern Afghanistan.

Security forces in Kandahar had already cleared the area around a bus station where the van was found, provincial governor spokesman Daud Ahmadi said.

“As the security forces were trying to defuse the van, it detonated,” said police spokesman Mohammad Qasim Azad.

The blast was so powerful that the majority of the wounded were civilian passers-by outside the cleared area. Ahmadi said security forces also found a large container of explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, suicide vests, and ammunition near the site.

“The terrorists planned to conduct a big attack at end of Ramadan in the city among crowds of people as they went out shopping for Eid… security forces prevented a disaster from happening,” one security official told media. </s> KANDAHAR: At least 16 people were killed and 38 wounded today when a minivan packed with explosives detonated as security forces were trying to defuse it in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

Security forces in Kandahar had already cleared the area around a bus station where the van was found, provincial governor spokesman Daud Ahmadi said.

"As the security forces were trying to defuse the van, it detonated," said police spokesman Mohammad Qasim Azad.

"The latest figures show 16 dead and 38 wounded people brought to the hospital. We still have two ambulances at the site because there might be more people under the rubble," Dr Nehmat Barak, chief of the Mirwais Hospital in Kandahar, said.

Ahmadi confirmed the toll, adding that the dead included four security forces personnel.

At least five children and 10 members of the security forces were among the wounded.

The blast was so powerful that the majority of the casualties were passers-by outside the cleared area.

Ahmadi said security forces also found a large container of explosives, rocket-propelled grenades, suicide vests, and ammunition near the site.

The terrorists planned to conduct a big attack at end of Ramadan in the city among crowds of people as they went out shopping for Eid. Security forces prevented a disaster from happening," one security official told AFP.

The blast comes as the Taliban step up their spring offensive across the war-torn country.

Last week the insurgent group attacked western Farah city, but were repelled by commandos backed by the Afghan and US Air Force.

Yesterday, the Taliban warned Kabul residents to avoid "military centres" in the heavily fortified city, saying they are planning more attacks in the Afghan capital.

A US government watchdog also warned yesterday that upbeat assessments of improving security in the country did not match facts on the ground.

The Pentagon's Office of the Inspector General said there were "few signs of progress" in the fight against the Taliban.

Top US officials and military commanders insist the Afghan security forces -- which have suffered thousands of casualties and are beset with low morale and corruption -- are now doing a better job of maintaining order.

But the Taliban still control swathes of the country and are staging repeated attacks, while the Islamic State group has conducted a series of high-profile suicide blasts in Kabul and elsewhere. </s> At least nine people have been killed and over 50 injured in a car bomb attack on police headquarters in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan, a source told Sputnik on Thursday

KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) At least nine people have been killed and over 50 injured in a car bomb attack on police headquarters in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan , a source told Sputnik on Thursday.

"So far nine people have been killed and more than 50 have been wounded in the attack," the source said.

Photos released on social media show black plumes of smoke billowing from the place of the alleged attack.

Earlier in the day, Jamal Naseer Barakzai, the spokesman of the police command, told Sputnik that a group of Taliban gunmen attacked the police command in Kandahar after detonating an explosive-laden vehicle close to the building.

Local sources have reported at least two explosions, while the official confirmed one to Sputnik. </s> KANDAHAR - A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 13 people and wounded several more in an attack on a convoy of Afghan soldiers in Helmand province late Sunday, an official said.

"A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-filled car as the Afghan National Army convoy passed a small market in Nawa District of Helmand," Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, told AFP.

He added that civilians and forces personnel were among the dead while more than a dozen others had been wounded.

A source working at a nearby hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity that the bodies of 15 victims had been brought to the hospital. Another 19 injured were also admitted, he added.

"The majority of the dead belong to Afghan forces and most of the wounded are civilians," the source said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message sent to journalists.
At least 16 people are killed and 38 wounded in Kandahar, Afghanistan, by the accidental detonation of a container of explosives while security forces were attempting to dispose of it.