Pakistan condemns deadly bomb attack on students in eastern Afghanistan

Security personnel and residents gather a day after at the site of a car bomb attack in which at least 25 people were killed and 110 wounded, in the Pul-e-Alam area in Logar province on May 1, 2021. (AFP)

• Most of the casualties were high school students who had traveled to Pul-e Alam for exams
• It is not immediately clear who was behind the blast that killed at least 25 people and wounded 110 others

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has condemned a bomb attack at a guesthouse in Afghanistan’s eastern Logar province that killed at least 25 people, mostly students, and injured dozens more on Friday evening.
The blast had struck just as guests were breaking their fast during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Most of the casualties were high school students who had traveled from different villages Logar’s capital of Pul-e Alam for their university entrance exam.
Hassibullah Stanekzai, chief of Logar’s provincial council, told Arab News the force of the blast was “so enormous that it broke down glasses of some houses even one kilometer away. In total, 25 lost their lives, 110 were wounded.”
“Pakistan strongly condemns the heinous terrorist attack in Pul-e-Alam, capital city of Logar province, Afghanistan in which scores of innocent lives were lost and many others were injured,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
“The people and the Government of Pakistan offer heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the quick recovery of the injured.”
While it was not immediately clear who was behind the blast, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani accused the Taliban. The group has not commented on the incident yet.
Violence in Afghanistan has escalated in recent weeks after US President Joe Biden announced the United States would not observe the May 1 deadline agreed with the Taliban to withdraw troops and would postpone the pullout to end two decades of foreign military presence until Sept. 11.