Suicide car bomb targets Afghan governor, many killed: Officials

Suicide car bomb targets Afghan governor, many killed: Officials

A suicide car bomber has targeted the convoy of a provincial governor in eastern Afghanistan, killing at least eight people, including four civilians, government officials have said.

At least 30 others were also wounded in the incident, which took place in eastern Laghman province’s capital, Mehtarlam, Afghanistan’s interior ministry said on Monday.

Attack amid Doha talks

Violence in Afghanistan has not abated even as representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban are holding intra-Afghan negotiations in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office.

The negotiations are meant to end the country’s decades-long long war, following a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban, signed in February in Qatar’s capital, Doha.

The talks that started last month in Doha aim at reaching an agreement on a reduction of violence and a possible new power-sharing agreement in Afghanistan.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is travelling to Qatar on Monday for a bilateral meeting with Qatari leaders but will not hold a meeting with Taliban officials even as peace talks are under way in Doha, officials said.

“Several meetings are planned to discuss efforts for deepening Afghanistan-Qatar ties and mutual cooperation in various areas,” a close aide to Ghani told Reuters news agency, adding that Ghani will also meet the Afghan representatives who are holding talks with Taliban.

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