The blasts took place in Lashkar Gah, the capital of the volatile Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province, as people marked Farmers' Day as part of Persian New Year celebrations, attended by nearly 1,000 people.
Local Afghan news website TOLOnews reported that the provincial economic chief in Helmand, Mohammad Khan Nusrat, was killed in the attack.
Helmand's governor was also at the stadium but was unhurt.
The blasts appeared to have been caused by explosives placed in tents set up for farmers to display their products.
The Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
grabbed credit for the attack in a statement sent to the media.
It said the target was top Afghan officials and claimed that no civilians were harmed in the blasts.
Afghanistan's Caped President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..condemned the attack.
"The holy warriors are the enemies of peoples' bright future and development, they are attacking civilian installations, gatherings, and occasions to spread fear and horror, and to hide their defeats on the battlefront," Ghani said in a statement.
| Khaama Press’s report makes it clear the fog has not yet cleared: |
...Arabic for
students...
front man Zabiullah Mujahid issued a statement claiming that several high level government officials including deputy provincial governor, provincial intelligence chief, border forces commander, director of information and culture, director of agriculture and irrigation, and director of economy of Helmand were killed or maimed.
Mujahid went on to claim that the civilians were not hurt in the two kabooms.
The Ministry of Interior officials have said at least 3 people have died and more than 30 others have sustained injuries in the kabooms.
Provincial governor’s front man Omar Zwak said at least two peole have died and 21 others have sustained injuries in today’s twin kabooms.
In the meantime, provincial public health officials are saying that two people including a civilian and a provincial official have died in the kabooms.