Afghan President Ghani condemns deadly Jalalabad blasts

Kabul: Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Saturday strongly condemned the deadly suicide blasts at the Jalalabad cricket stadium, which claimed eight lives.

In a statement, President Ghani said that the militants “continue their enmity with the cultural and religious values of Afghanistan by carrying out such attacks,” Khaama Press reported.

He also lambasted at the terrorists saying that “carrying out such attacks during the holy month of Ramadan proves that they are enemies of humanity and are not true believers in any religion or faith.”
At least eight persons were killed and 45 others were wounded in three back to back explosions at a cricket stadium in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad of Nangarhar province on Friday evening, confirmed the Afghan officials on Saturday.

The blasts exploded in the jam-packed stadium at around 11 pm (local time) on Friday evening as the spectators had gathered to watch a local “Ramadan Cup” match, the provincial governorĀ“s office said, according to Geo TV.

The match was a part of a cricket tournament held between local teams to mark Ramadan, the holy month of the Muslims, provincial governor spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said in a statement.

An eyewitness had then said that four explosions have been heard in the area, according to the reports.
So far, no group has claimed the responsibility for the Jalalabad blasts.

The attack comes less than a week after at least six people were killed and nearly 20 others wounded in a suicide attack in Jalalabad city near the gate of the provincial finance department. (ANI)