UPDATES DEATH TOLL IN NANGARHAR, CHANGES LEDE, HEADLINE, ADDS DETAILS
By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) – Dozens of people were killed in two separate attacks across Afghanistan on Tuesday.
At least 11 civilians, including women and children, were killed in a roadside blast in western Farah province bordering Iran, an official said.
Farah governor's spokesman Naseer Mehri told Anadolu Agency a passenger bus struck a roadside improvised explosive device, reportedly planted by the Taliban, in the Bala Bulook area of the province.
''The bus was on its way from Herat province to capital Kabul; 11 passengers embraced martyrdom and more than 30 are wounded, ” Mehri said.
The Taliban so far have not claimed the attack.
Farah city briefly fell to Taliban fighters in May this year. Local officials often blame Iran for backing the armed group in this part of the country, a charge repeatedly rejected by Tehran and the Taliban.
Separately, the directorate of refugee affairs came under an armed assault in eastern Nangarhar province, which had been marred by pro-Daesh insurgency.
After an hours-long armed siege, authorities confirmed 15 people were killed and 20 wounded.
There has been no immediate claim of responsibility.
Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor, told Anadolu Agency the siege, which began around noon ended in the evening. He said it began with a suicide car bombing at the entrance of the compound after which two armed attackers stormed the compound of the directorate.
In recent days, the province has witnessed a string of such attacks causing shockwaves.
Lawmakers from the province told a presser in Kabul on Monday up to 160 lives have been lost in terrorist attacks in three months.
