A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 66 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts 10 bombs but both Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban militants operate in the area

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

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 66 people were wounded, including 20 children enjoying the public holiday.

Ghulam Mohammad, a shopkeeper selling plants, said his two sons and a nephew were among the injured in a blast at the market square.

Independence day ceremonies were disrupted in Mehtralam, the capital of the eastern province of Laghman, when militants hit a celebration venue with five rockets. “The formal ceremony had ended,” said Assadullah Dawlatzai, a spokesman for the governor. </s> 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. </s> Scores of people, including children, have been wounded after a series of explosions in restaurants and public squares hit the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence from British rule.

Noor Ahmad Habibi, a deputy spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, said on Monday at least 66 people were wounded in as many as 10 blasts reported in and around the city.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

"We came to the city to celebrate and were headed to the main square when the bomb went off. I got injured and then someone brought me to the hospital," Walid, 17, from Pachir Agaam district in Jalalabad, told Al Jazeera.

"It was supposed to be a happy day and they come and kill people. They brought us sorrow on a day where people were supposed to be happy."

The blasts followed a bomb attack over the weekend on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, in which at least 63 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded.

That attack was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.

Marking independence day

Extensive celebrations were planned throughout Afghanistan on Monday, with $4.8m allocated by the government to be spent on the festivities in a June presidential decree.

But in Kabul, independence day events were curtailed out of respect for those who died in Saturday's attack.

The main event to coincide with the reopening of Darulaman Palace, which was heavily damaged during the civil war in the 1990s, was postponed as well.

"There is still concern over the security in light of Saturday night," Al Jazeera's Charlotte Bellis, reporting from the capital, said.

"A lot of people are staying home just out of caution instead of celebrating in large groups."

In an independence day address, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on the international community to stand with Afghanistan to eradicate the fighters' "nests".

"Our fight against the Daesh will continue," he said, referring to ISIL.

'I opened my eyes at hospital'

In Jalalabad, where the streets were covered in posters and cars were draped in flags, many had painted their faces with the colours of the Afghan flag: black, red and green.

Young Afghans, including children, were seen dancing to national songs.

"We all came ... to celebrate independence. We bought loud speakers to play national music, and while we were all dancing, the first bomb went off," Zahir Jan, a Jalalabad resident, told Al Jazeera.

"I don't know what happened next but I opened my eyes at the hospital. Eight of my friends are injured."

Najibullah, 28, got a phone call from his friends that his nine-year-old nephew was wounded in one of the blasts.

"I rushed to the hospital when I heard about my nephews. I saw five to six children injured as well at the hospital," he told Al Jazeera.

The latest incidents come as the United States and the Taliban have been holding regular meetings in Qatar since October to try to end the country's 18-year conflict.

A potential agreement would see the US withdraw its approximately 14,000 soldiers from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.

In an independence day statement, the Taliban said it was looking forward to the departure of all foreign forces.

"The day approaches closer when these invaders shall completely leave our country, akin to the British and Soviets before them," it said.

While never part of the British empire, Afghanistan gained complete independence from Britain on August 19, 1919.

Additional reporting by Mohsin Khan Momand and Mohammed Harun Arsalai in Jalalabad </s> A series of explosions in Jalalabad marred Afghanistan’s Independence Day on Monday. As many as 19 people were injured in 10 blasts in and around the city in Nangarhar province, the governor’s spokesperson Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.

The number of those injured is not confirmed yet. While a spokesperson for a local hospital said about 40 wounded people had been brought in, senior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 34 people were injured.

The blasts took place in restaurants and public squares, reported Al Jazeera. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

“The explosions were caused by IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in different parts of the city and as groups of people were celebrating independence day,” said Khogyani.

Late on Saturday, 63 people were killed in a suicide attack at a wedding hall in Kabul, which was claimed by the Islamic State group.

Several events to mark 100 years of Afghanistan’s independence from the British were cancelled in Kabul on Monday over fears of a fresh attack. “We postponed the celebrations to honour the victims, but we will definitely take revenge for our people,” said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. “We will avenge the blood of our people, every drop of it.”

Earlier in August, 14 people died and 145 were injured in the same district after a suicide attack near the gate of the police headquarters. The Taliban had claimed responsibility for the explosion.

According to the United Nations, more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone. This is the highest monthly toll so far in 2019 and the worst single month since May 2017. </s> KABUL — The number of people wounded in multiple bomb blasts in the Afghan city of Jalalabad has risen to 123, officials said on Tuesday, a day after 14 bombs exploded in public squares, markets and outside restaurants in the eastern city.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but both Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban militants operate in the area, which borders Pakistan.

Gulzada Sangar, a government health official in Jalalabad, said no deaths were reported in the blasts, which struck as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.

An IS suicide attack on a crowded Kabul wedding hall killed 63 people on Saturday. </s> The number of people injured in multiple explosions that hit on Monday the city of Jalalabad, located in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, has risen to 66, the Pajhwok news agency reported

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2019) The number of people injured in multiple explosions that hit on Monday the city of Jalalabad, located in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, has risen to 66, the Pajhwok news agency reported.

Previous media reports said that 30 people had been injured in the blasts.

No militant group active in the region has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far. </s> A series of explosions in restaurants and public squares in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad have wounded more than 30 people, local officials said.

Monday's attacks took place as Afghanistan marked the 100th anniversary of its independence from British rule.

At least six explosions took place in different parts of the city, Nangarhar Provincial Governor Shah Mahmood Miakhel said, according to local media Tolo news.

Senior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 34 people were wounded after blasts targeted Independence Day events.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The attacks follow a weekend bomb attack on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, in which 63 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.

President Ashraf Ghani, in an independence day address in Kabul, called on the international community to stand with Afghanistan to eradicate the fighters' "nests".

"Our fight against the Daesh will continue," he said, referring to ISIL.

Independence day celebrations in Kabul have been curtailed out of respect for those who died in the attack on Saturday.

The main event to coincide with the reopening of Darulaman Palace, which was heavily damaged during the civil war in the 1990s, was postponed.

Al Jazeera's Charlotte Bellis, reporting from the capital, said: "There is still concern over the security in light of Saturday night."

"A lot of people are staying home just out of caution instead of celebrating in large groups."

The United States and the Taliban have been holding regular meetings in Qatar since October to try to end the country's 18-year conflict.

A potential agreement would see the US withdrawal of approximately 14,000 soldiers from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.

On Sunday, Trump told reporters that the US would seek to get troop levels below 13,000 but leave "very significant" intelligence capabilities behind.

In an independence day statement, the Taliban said they were looking forward to the departure of all foreign forces.

"The day approaches closer when these invaders shall completely leave our country, akin to the British and Soviets before them," it said.

While never part of the British empire, Afghanistan gained complete independence from Britain on August 19, 1919. </s> KABUL: A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 66 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.

 No group claimed responsibility for the 10 bombs but both IS and the Taliban militants operate in the area.

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

 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 66 people were wounded, including 20 children enjoying the public holiday.

 Ghulam Mohammad, a shopkeeper selling plants, said his two sons and a nephew were among the injured in a blast at the market square.

 “Children insisted on being in the shop, as they wanted to celebrate Independence Day in the market, but they were seriously injured when a bomb exploded,” Mohammad said at a hospital in the city.

 Independence day ceremonies were disrupted in Mehtralam, the capital of the eastern province of Laghman, when militants hit a celebration venue with five rockets, officials said, adding that six civilians were injured.

 “The formal ceremony had ended,” said Assadullah Dawlatzai, a spokesman for the provincial governor. “People were being served lunch when the rockets landed. Unfortunately, six civilians were wounded.” 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 IS will continue,” he said. “The Taliban have laid the foundation for such brutal killings.” In the speech, Ghani did not refer 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.

 But there are concerns among Afghan officials and US national security aides about a US withdrawal, with fears Afghanistan could be plunged into a new civil war that could herald a return of Taliban rule and international militants, including IS, finding a refuge.

 US President Donald Trump hopes to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan before the 2020 presidential election.

 Trump on Sunday called the Kabul bomb attack horrible and expressed optimism about the talks.

 He said the United States would seek to get troop levels below 13,000 but leave behind “very significant” intelligence capabilities.

 The US troops in Afghanistan train and advise Afghan security forces and conduct counterinsurgency operations.

 The Taliban said in an Independence Day statement they looked forward to the departure of all foreign forces.

 “The day approaches closer when these invaders shall completely leave our country, akin to the British and Soviets before them,” they said.

 While never part of the British empire, Afghanistan gained complete independence from Britain on August 19, 1919.

 Independence day ceremonies in Kabul were curtailed out of respect for those who died in the Saturday night bomb, the government said.

 — Reuters </s> Jalalabad: At least nine people were killed and 12 others injured by a suicide bomber Thursday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, an official said.

The bomber, who was on foot, detonated a device near a local police checkpoint, according to a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.

“Four security personnel and five civilians have been killed and 12 more, including three security personnel, wounded,” said Attaullah Khogyani.

There was at least one child among the fatalities, while three others were among those wounded.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area around Jalalabad is home to fighters from both the Taliban and the Islamic State group’s Afghan affiliate.

A wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and security forces.

After 18 years of conflict, the Taliban are in negotiations with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for some sort of peace settlement.

A resolution still seems far off, with the two sides struggling to agree on several key points. (AFP)
66 people, including children, have been wounded after a series of ten explosions in restaurants and public squares hit the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence from British rule. No group claimed responsibility for the bombings. Even if many bombs exploded and several people were injured, no one died in the attacks.