45 killed in Afghanistan's deadliest suicide bombing this year

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan

A suicide bomber blew himself up at a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least 45 people in the country's deadliest terrorist attack this year, officials said.

The bloodshed came just hours after Parliament approved agreements allowing U.S. and NATO troops to remain in the country past the end of the year.

Dozens more were wounded, many critically, said Mokhlis Afghan, spokesman for the governor of Paktika province. He said the bomber was mingling with the large crowd at the sporting event in Yahyakhail district when he set off the explosives.

"There were too many people gathered in the one place to watch the game," Afghan said.

Naseeb Ahmad, a doctor at Sharan Hospital in Paktika's capital, said the hospital received about 80 wounded people, 20 of them children. Officials said people of all ages were watching the adult-league inter-district tournament.

Volleyball is a popular sport in Afghanistan, played across the country, and the attacker is likely to have targeted the event to ensure maximum casualties. It is also possible that the presence of local police in the crowd made it an attractive target, as security forces are regularly attacked by insurgents.

No one claimed responsibility, and the Taliban's spokesman could not be reached by telephone.