Fourteen people were killed and 31 injured when a suicide bomber walked into a crowded market in eastern Afghanistan and blew himself up. The incident occurred a day after a suicide bomber in northern Afghanistan killed three German soldiers and seven civilians.

The recent attack in the city of Gardez on Sunday damaged around 30 shops, devastating shops, shattering windows and destroying the stores closest to the site. It is reported that the target of the attack was a foreign troop convoy but luckily it passed off minutes before the blast. But it engulfed the innocent citizens who became a victim merely by chance.

Six people died on the spot and another eight later died in hospital, while two of the 31 wounded were in critical condition. Afghan soldiers donated blood for the wounded.

Nasar Ahmad, a 30-year-old shopkeeper whose three cousins were seriously injured in the blast, said,

The convoy had already passed when the attack happened. I heard a strong blast and then saw a fireball go up,” Ahmad said from Gardez’ hospital. For 10 minutes I couldn’t hear and I didn’t know where I was. I saw a lot of people injured lying in the street.

Violence in Afghanistan continues unabated. All the more it has increased sharply in the last several weeks. More than 1,600 people have vanished in insurgency-related violence this year. The dead include both the civilians and the militants. Even the army has lost quite a few of its soldiers in the insurgency.

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via:Usatoday