By DPA,
Kabul : Afghan President Hamid Karzai Friday strongly condemned a suicide attack on a market in the southern city of Zarang, in which about 23 people were killed.
A statement issued by the Presidential Office spokesman quoted Karzai as saying: “The enemies of Afghan people, while carrying out the suicide attack in the market when people were busy with daily life, once again shows their anti-Islamic manner and enmity to the Afghan people.”
Karzai, while offering condolence to the families of Thursday’s attack, said, “Those behind such cruel activities will never escape God’s punishment.”
The attack on the city market in Nimruz province killed 23 people and wounded 31 others, mostly civilians, including several children, according to Gholum Dastagir Azaad, the provincial governor.
The police chief of Khashroad district and the border police chief of the province were among those killed in the attack, according to Azad.
“It seems there was more than one bomber, because one person couldn’t carry enough explosive to cause such a big explosion,” the governor said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack.
Meanwhile, two Dutch soldiers were killed and two others sustained serious injuries Friday in a roadside bomb explosion in the Uruzghan province, Dutch Defence Minister Eimert van Middelkoop confirmed in Amsterdam.
According to the minister, the vehicle in which the four Dutch soldiers were driving was struck Friday morning when driving back from a mission to Camp Holland.
One of the victims was the son of the Netherlands new chief of staff, General Peter van Uhm.
The official ceremony for the transfer of power from the outgoing chief of staff Dick Berlijn to van Uhm took place just Thursday.
A total of 16 Dutch soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan, eight of whom during military operations.