22 wounded in bomb attack in Afghanistan: official

At least 22 people were wounded in a bomb attack in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province on Tuesday, a provincial health official confirmed.

“Twenty-two people were admitted to the Balkh Regional Hospital’s emergency department following an explosion in Mazar-i-Sharif Tuesday morning,” Shafequllah Shafeq from the hospital told Xinhua.

The incident triggered panic among the patients but none of the wounded suffered life-threatening wounds, the official noted.

In the meantime, Adil Shah Adil, the provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua that the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) attached to a bicycle parked at a sidewalk in Alokozai Square of the city at around 9:00 a.m. local time.

One Afghan National Police (ANP) officer and five traffic police personnel were among the affected people, Adil added.

Security forces have cordoned off the area for precautionary measures.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

Over the past months, big Afghan cities have witnessed a spate of terror attacks by the Taliban insurgents and Islamic State outfit opposing the government.