Alwaght- At least 13 people have been killed and more than 30 were injured on Tuesday when a suicide bomber blew himself up at an election rally in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar.
The attack is the first suicide assault since campaigning for the Oct. 20 parliamentary election officially kicked off last Friday, preparations for which have already been marred by bloody violence.
Around 250 people were attending the rally said Sohrab Qaderi, a member of the provincial council, adding that at least 30 were killed and dozens more wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility. ISIS terrorist group has claimed a series of attacks this year that have killed scores of people in Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan.
The parliamentary election is seen as both a dry run for the more important presidential election next year, and a test of the government’s ability to provide security. Officials acknowledge that sustained violence could delay the process if it proved unsafe for voters to go to polling stations.
