On Monday, at least three people died and seven others were injured, with the majority of them being migrants from Pakistan, following a powerful explosion at a restaurant in southeastern Afghanistan.
The blast occurred around 11:00 AM local time within a restaurant located in the Khost province. The provincial police department stated that most of the victims originated from neighboring Pakistan.
“Three immigrants from Waziristan, a Pakistani border city, lost their lives, and an additional seven are wounded,” authorities reported, refraining from specifying whether the explosion resulted from an accidental cause or was an intentional attack.
As of now, no armed group has claimed responsibility for the incident. The victims hailed from the Durand Line, the internationally recognized boundary between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has declared August 15, the anniversary of the withdrawal of American occupying forces from the country, an official holiday.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Labor of the Taliban government in Afghanistan announced that Mordad 24 (August 15) will… pic.twitter.com/R1n65zjrOD
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These migrants are part of a group of Pakistanis seeking refuge in a camp within the Golan region of the Khost province.
“The explosion was of substantial magnitude, impacting a nearby hotel and businesses,” recounted Mujeeb Ur Rahman, a resident of the area who witnessed the explosion.
For years, the Durand Line has existed under the influence of active armed groups in both countries, including Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the primary Pakistani Taliban faction, which, while ideologically connected to Afghan Taliban, maintains its independence. Thousands of Pakistanis, mainly Pashtuns, have sought refuge on the Afghan side.
