Bomb blasts kill 5 in western Afghan city

At least five people were killed and 20 more wounded when two bombs exploded in quick succession in the western Afghan city of Herat. The incident happened in the evening when a group of young men and children had gathered to play at a ground where the bombs were planted. “Five people have been killed and 20 others have been wounded,” Sabit Harwi, spokesman for the intelligence office in Herat, said. Harwi said the local police defused two other bombs found in the area.

He said the entire area had been demined recently to remove all unexploded ordnances left from the war and the bombs that exploded on Friday appeared to have been planted just before the group came to play. Ibrahim Mohammadi, head of Herat’s ambulance service, confirmed the toll and said the dead included a child. – AFP