At least 21 people were killed and several others injured in a suicide attack outside a bank in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Thursday. bbc He summoned a doctor from the regional hospital.
However, local police put the number of dead at three and the number of injured at 12.
The explosion killed mainly civilians who had gathered in front of the bank to withdraw cash, the Kandahar police department said in a statement.
“There was a suicide attack in which three compatriots died and 12 others were injured,” he said. AFP.
“Normally our compatriots gather there to collect their salaries,” he said, adding that the “victims were civilians.”
The dead and about 50 injured were taken to Mirwais hospital, the largest in the region, according to a hospital doctor. bbc on condition of anonymity.
The capital of Afghanistan is Kabul, but Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada lives in the city of Kandahar, in the southern province of the same name and the birthplace of the Taliban movement.
Taliban authorities had surrounded the area outside the bank and did not allow journalists to approach the site.
However, a AFP A journalist saw what appeared to be unconscious people or bodies being loaded into ambulances after the explosion.
Firefighters and security personnel were cleaning up the area, where blood, remains of clothing and shoes covered the ground.
The hospitals did not respond to requests for information, saying they had been told not to speak to the media.
The number of bombings and suicide attacks in Afghanistan has decreased markedly since the Taliban ended their insurgency after seizing power in August 2021, overthrowing the US-backed government.
However, several armed groups, including the regional chapter of Daesh, remain a threat.
Multiple explosions have been reported across Afghanistan since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on March 11, but few have been confirmed by Taliban officials.
