63 killed in Afghanistan wedding explosion

At least 63 people were killed after a bomb exploded at a wedding party in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday evening.

The explosion occurred in a Shiite neighbourhood as people gathered to celebrate a wedding in the Dubai City wedding hall. The victims included women and children, an official said.

The Associated Press quoted a witness, Gul Mohammad, as saying the blast occurred near the stage where musicians were and “all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed.”

The Shiites are a minority in Afghanistan and have been repeatedly targeted by the Taliban and other Sunni armed groups in the country.

The Taliban, which has carried out attacks in several parts of Afghanistan, however, denied responsibility for Saturday’s incident and condemned it.

The Taliban governed Afghanistan before a U.S.-led attack following a September 11, 2001, terrorist attack in the U.S. The group is currently negotiating with the Americans for a withdrawal of the latter’s forces from Afghanistan. The U.S. wants a commitment from the Taliban to stop further attacks and to negotiate a peace and governance deal with the U.S.-backed Afghanistan government.

Afghanistan President, Ashraf Ghani, who condemned the attack, however, said the Taliban cannot “absolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists”.

Mr Ghani shared his view on his official Twitter handle, @ashrafghani.