Bomb blast kills 10 in southeast Afghanistan

A bomb explosion takes place in Afghanistan’s southeastern province of Paktika near the border with Pakistan, Press TV reports.

A bomber on a motorbike on Sunday detonated his explosives at a sports stadium in the east of the province.

Latest reports say at least 10 people have been killed and over a three dozen others badly wounded in the blast.

However, the police chief of Paktika says that the number of casualties may rise as the wounded are in a very critical condition.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.

In a similar incident last year, 57 people were killed and 60 others were injured in Yahya Khel district of the same troubled province after a bomber detonated his explosives among the spectators of a volleyball match.

Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) blamed the Haqqani terrorist network for the attack.

The Haqqani network, founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani, is a militant group affiliated with the Taliban.

The militant group is blamed for some of the most deadly terrorist attacks carried out in Afghanistan, including the Indian Embassy bombing, the attack on Serena Hotel and the coordinated attacks on the Justice Ministry complex over the past decade.

The group operates on both the Pakistan and Afghan side of the border.

Afghan army kills 85 militants

In a separate development, NDS said in a statement on Sunday that at least 85 militants from the Taliban and Daesh terrorist groups were killed in two separate airstrikes by the Afghan air force in Achin district of eastern Nangarhar Province

A senior Daesh commander identified as Jalil Warakzai is said to be among those killed in the airstrike.

Recent media reports indicate that Daesh terrorists have gained ground in some areas across Afghanistan.

On June 16, the Taliban warned Daesh ringleader, Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, against “waging a parallel insurgency in Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity years after the United States and its allies attacked the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. Although the attack overthrew the Taliban, many areas across Afghanistan still face violence and insecurity.