Car bomb hits gov’t facility – Paktia

A car bomb hit a government facility in Paktia, reportedly an army base, this morning, leaving dozens of civilian casualties.

Confirming the blast, Paktia officials said 5 civilians had been killed and 19 others, including 5 military personnel, had been injured.

Paktia Police Chief Sultan Daud confirmed that a car bomb – a Mazda truck improvised with explosives – had exploded at a military facility in Gardez, Paktia province.

The spokesperson for 203 Thunder Corps, Emal Momand, said 5 civilians had been killed and 19 others, including 5 military personnel, had been injured, adding that the number of casualties is likely to vary.

The Paktia provincial media office said in a statement that 28 people were killed and wounded in the attack – the dead included one ANA soldier and three civilians, while 19 civilians and 5 ANA soldiers were wounded.

According to the statement, the incident has happened in a place that is mostly frequented by civilians. Also, windows of offices and houses nearby have been broken.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming that a number of troopers had been killed and wounded.

This comes as President Ghani, following the deadly attacks in Kabul, Nangarhar, and Laghman, ordered the Afghan National Defense and Security forces to ease up their “active defense” mode and go on “offensive” one against the anti-government armed forces.