JALALABAD: An explosion in a city in eastern Afghanistan where President Ashraf Ghani was visiting killed at least 12 people, officials said Sunday, in the latest deadly violence to rock the country.
Provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said a suicide bomber struck a market, killing at least 12 people and wounding 20.
Khogyani told AFP that 10 Afghan Sikhs were among the dead.
The death toll was confirmed by interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, adding the assault was “most probably” carried out by a suicide bomber.
“I can confirm there are some Afghan Hindus among the wounded and we are checking if they are among the fatalities,” Danish told AFP.
Afghans often use the word Hindus even when talking about Sikhs. Small communities of both faiths reside in what is otherwise an overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
Provincial health director Najibullah Kamawal put the death toll at 15.
Afghan officials often give conflicting information in the immediate aftermath of attacks.
Ghani’s spokesman confirmed the president was still in Nangarhar but was “away from danger.”
Ghani arrived in Jalalabad earlier Sunday to open a hospital, part of a two-day visit to the restive province.
The attack came a day after Ghani ordered Afghan security forces to resume offensive operations against the Taliban following the expiration of the government’s 18-day cease-fire.
The government’s unilateral truce overlapped with the Taliban’s three-day cease-fire for Eid, but the militants refused to prolong it.
The unprecedented cease-fire over the holiday capping Ramadan triggered spontaneous street celebrations involving Taliban fighters and security forces.
But it was marred by two suicide attacks in Nangarhar that killed dozens of people and were claimed by the Daesh group, which has a smaller but relatively potent presence in Afghanistan.
Daesh was not part of the cease-fire.
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Blast rocks Afghan city killing at least 12
Blast rocks Afghan city killing at least 12
Rain has flooded Gaza tents and a baby died of exposure, medics say
- Gaza officials say they lack equipment to manage the floods
- 1.5 million Gazans are displaced, tents and shelter needed
CAIRO/GAZA: Torrential rain swept across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, flooding hundreds of tents sheltering families displaced by two years of war, and leading to the death of a baby girl due to exposure, local health officials said.
Medics said eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar died of exposure to cold after water inundated her family’s tent in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave.
Weeping and holding Rahaf in her hands, her mother Hejar Abu Jazar said she had fed the girl before they went to sleep.
“When we woke up, we found the rain over her and the wind on her, and the girl died of cold suddenly,” she told Reuters.
“There was nothing wrong with her. Oh, the fire in my heart, the fire in my heart, oh my life,” she said in tears.
Gaza lacks equipment to cope with deluge due to the war
Municipal and civil defense officials said they were unable to cope with the storm because of fuel shortages and damage to equipment. They said Israel destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and others used to pump water, during the war, which displaced most of the over two million population and left much of Gaza in ruins.
The civil defense service said most of the tent encampments across the enclave were flooded, and it received more than 2,500 calls for help. Some of the belongings of displaced people were seen floating on top of pools of rainwater that filled the alleys of the tent encampments.
A UN report said 761 displacement sites hosting about 850,000 people are at high risk of flooding and thousands of people had moved in anticipation of heavy rain.
UN and Palestinian officials said at least 300,000 new tents are urgently needed for the roughly 1.5 million people still displaced. Most existing shelters are worn out or made of thin plastic and cloth sheeting.
Gazans have resorted to ripping out iron rods from the debris of bombed houses and using them to prop up tents or to sell for a few dollars.
A ceasefire has broadly held since October, but the war destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure, leaving grim living conditions.
Aid shortages
Hamas-led authorities say Israel is not allowing in as much aid as promised under the truce. Aid agencies say Israel is blocking essential items. Israel says it is meeting its obligations and accuses agencies of inefficiency and failing to prevent theft by Hamas, which the group denies.
“We hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for exposing displaced families to climate hazards as it continues closing crossings and preventing the entry of relief items and shelter materials,” said Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office.
The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said flooded streets and soaked tents are worsening already dire conditions.
“Cold, overcrowded and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection,” it said on X.
“This suffering could be prevented by unhindered humanitarian aid, including medical support and proper shelter,” it added.
In Gaza City, three houses collapsed as a result of the rainstorm in areas that had been devastated by Israeli bombardment, the civil emergency service said.
The October 10 ceasefire has enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza City’s ruins. Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased.
But violence has not completely halted. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 383 people in strikes in Gaza since the truce. Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began, and it has attacked scores of fighters.
On Thursday, medics said two Palestinian women were killed, and some other people were wounded in Israeli tank shelling in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military didn’t offer immediate comment.
Medics said eight-month-old Rahaf Abu Jazar died of exposure to cold after water inundated her family’s tent in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave.
Weeping and holding Rahaf in her hands, her mother Hejar Abu Jazar said she had fed the girl before they went to sleep.
“When we woke up, we found the rain over her and the wind on her, and the girl died of cold suddenly,” she told Reuters.
“There was nothing wrong with her. Oh, the fire in my heart, the fire in my heart, oh my life,” she said in tears.
Gaza lacks equipment to cope with deluge due to the war
Municipal and civil defense officials said they were unable to cope with the storm because of fuel shortages and damage to equipment. They said Israel destroyed hundreds of vehicles, including bulldozers and others used to pump water, during the war, which displaced most of the over two million population and left much of Gaza in ruins.
The civil defense service said most of the tent encampments across the enclave were flooded, and it received more than 2,500 calls for help. Some of the belongings of displaced people were seen floating on top of pools of rainwater that filled the alleys of the tent encampments.
A UN report said 761 displacement sites hosting about 850,000 people are at high risk of flooding and thousands of people had moved in anticipation of heavy rain.
UN and Palestinian officials said at least 300,000 new tents are urgently needed for the roughly 1.5 million people still displaced. Most existing shelters are worn out or made of thin plastic and cloth sheeting.
Gazans have resorted to ripping out iron rods from the debris of bombed houses and using them to prop up tents or to sell for a few dollars.
A ceasefire has broadly held since October, but the war destroyed much of Gaza’s infrastructure, leaving grim living conditions.
Aid shortages
Hamas-led authorities say Israel is not allowing in as much aid as promised under the truce. Aid agencies say Israel is blocking essential items. Israel says it is meeting its obligations and accuses agencies of inefficiency and failing to prevent theft by Hamas, which the group denies.
“We hold the Israeli occupation fully responsible for exposing displaced families to climate hazards as it continues closing crossings and preventing the entry of relief items and shelter materials,” said Ismail Al-Thawabta, head of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office.
The UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said flooded streets and soaked tents are worsening already dire conditions.
“Cold, overcrowded and unsanitary environments heighten the risk of illness and infection,” it said on X.
“This suffering could be prevented by unhindered humanitarian aid, including medical support and proper shelter,” it added.
In Gaza City, three houses collapsed as a result of the rainstorm in areas that had been devastated by Israeli bombardment, the civil emergency service said.
The October 10 ceasefire has enabled hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to Gaza City’s ruins. Israel has pulled troops back from city positions, and aid flows have increased.
But violence has not completely halted. Palestinian health authorities say Israeli forces have killed 383 people in strikes in Gaza since the truce. Israel says three of its soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire began, and it has attacked scores of fighters.
On Thursday, medics said two Palestinian women were killed, and some other people were wounded in Israeli tank shelling in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military didn’t offer immediate comment.
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