Death toll in Afghan car bomb attack rises to 89 - defense ministry

The death toll form a car bomb attack in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on Tuesday rose to 89, a defense ministry spokesman said.
 
"The number of victims may increase," said General Zahir Azimi.
           
The attack took place not far from the porous border with Pakistan's North Waziristan region, where the military has been attacking hideouts of the Pakistani Taliban in the past few weeks, prompting militants to retreat towards Afghanistan.              

Abdulrahimzai said police had been tipped about the car and were chasing it when it exploded.              

"The explosion was so big it destroyed many shops. Dozens of people are trapped under the roofs," Mohammad Raza Kharoti, the district governor, told Reuters.          

In Kabul, a remote control bomb concealed by a roadside killed two employees of President Hamid Karzai's media office and wounded five, police said. The Taliban claimed responsibility.             

The attacks took place as foreign troops are gradually withdrawing from the country. The United Nations said last week civilian casualties jumped by almost a quarter in the first half of this year as hostilities escalate.


REUTERS