Three soldiers have been killed, while 14 civilians have sustained injuries in a car bomb explosion that rocked the Afghan town of Gardez, Abdulrahman Mangal, a spokesman for the local governor, said Thursday. The blast hit the Gardez-Khost road, which connects the town of Gardez in Paktia to Khost in Khost province.
In addition to these casualties, there has been material damage to nearby markets, shops and public property.
Earlier in the day, another blast occurred at the central square of Gardez, according to the governor of Paktia province, Halim Fadai. There were no reports of casualties at the time.
Armed clashes and bomb blasts continue to impact Afghanistan despite the ongoing peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.
Earlier this week, member of the negotiating team for the Afghan government Nader Nadery said that the Afghan government and Taliban had agreed on the structure of intra-Afghan talks and can start negotiations on the agenda.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts at that time, with the Taliban denying any involvement.
The United States and the Taliban - Afghanistan’s major armed opposition movement - signed a peace agreement in February that paved the way for reducing violence in the country, a gradual troop withdrawal and for intra-Afghan negotiations.
