Alwaght- At least 15 people were killed in a terrorist attack at Lashkargah city in Afghanistan on Friday.
Over 40 people were also wounded in the car bomb explosion near a sports facility, a health official has said.
Omar Zwak, spokesperson for the governor of Helmand province, said Friday's blast in the southern city took place close to the Ghazi Muhammad Ayoub Khan stadium, where a wrestling match was taking place.
The death toll is expected to rise, with hospital sources reporting that a number of wounded people were in serious condition. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The Italian NGO Emergency said that they had heard the sound of the explosion from their surgical centre.
"35 wounded already taken to our hospital, another four were dead on arrival," the NGO said in a Twitter post.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in a statement condemned the attack and said "the enemies of Afghanistan cannot prevent the celebration of traditional, religious and cultural events in the country".
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, also confirmed the incident and said on twitter “verifying disturbing reports of attack outside sports stadium in Helmand.
“Attacks directed at civilians are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.”
The explosion comes just two days after a suicide bomber detonated himself near Kabul University in the Afghan capital, killing 29 people and wounding 52 others.
ISIS Takfiri terrorist group claimed responsibility for that attack.
Last month, UNAMA reported 3,438 deaths and 7,015 wounded in the country last year despite US-led military presence in the war-torn country.
Afghanistan is still suffering from insecurity and violence years after the US and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. US-led forces continue to occupy the country amid an upsurge of terrorist attacks by ISIS and Taliban groups and an unprecedented increase on narcotics production.
