One dead and 8 wounded, including children, at Afghanistan press awards ceremony
- The explosion went off at the Tabian Farhang centre in Mazar-i Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, as journalists gathered for the awards ceremony, police said
- No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. The UN mission in Afghanistan condemned the attack as ‘despicable’
A bomb exploded Saturday during an award ceremony for journalists in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i- Sharif, killing at least one person and wounding eight, including children, officials said.
The blast went off at the Tabian Farhang centre in Mazar-i Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, as journalists gathered for the award ceremony at 11am local time, said Mohammad Asif Waziri, a local police spokesman.
Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor said five journalists and three children were wounded. The blast killed a security guard, he said.
The explosion came two days after a bomb in Mazar-i-Sharif killed the provincial governor, Daud Muzmal, and two others. Four people were wounded.
Among the journalists wounded on Saturday was Najeeb Faryad, a reporter for the Ariana News television station. Faryad said he felt like something hit him in the back, followed by a deafening sound before he fell to the ground.
