Bicycle bomb injures 15 Afghan civilians in E. province

Fifteen Afghan civilians were injured in a bomb blast in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar on Thursday, the provincial government spokesman said.
"An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attached to a bicycle was detonated in a main square in Bati Kot District roughly at 10:30 a.m. local time, injuring 15 innocent civilians," spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told Xinhua.
Five of the injured were shifted to a main hospital in provincial capital as they were suffering severe wounds while 10 wounded people received treatment in the district's hospital, the official added.
Provincial Gov. Gulab Mangal has instructed concerned authorities to provide best medical treatment for the injured, Khogyani said.
He blamed anti-government militants for planting the device.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Taliban militants and Islamic State (IS) fighters have presence in parts of the province, 120 km east of Kabul.
About 715 civilians were killed and over 1,460 others injured in conflict-related incidents across Afghanistan in the first three months of the year, according to figures released by the UN mission in the country.
Out of casualties, 86 civilians were killed and 132 others wounded in IED attacks across the country over the period.

Source: Xinhua