Blast kills 8, wounds 13 in north Afghanistan

At least eight people were killed and thirteen others injured on Friday when a powerful explosion rocked the Baraka district center in northern Baghlan province of Afghanistan, an official said.
A provincial council member, Haji Mohammad told media that the bomb exploded in front of a grain market in the district center at a time when people were preparing for Friday prayers.
He confirmed that a child, four civilians and three Afghan Local Police personnel were among the fatalities. Another 13 people including seven children were wounded in the powerful blast.
The public representative feared that the death toll could be higher because the market was full of people at the time of the attack due to weekly day off on Friday. The security forces reached the site of the incident and wounded people were shifted to the nearby hospitals.
The attack came at a time when Afghanistan is facing acute political crisis and the foreign combat troops prepare to withdraw from the country by the end of the year.