KABUL — A suicide blast tore through a crowded market Wednesday in northwest Afghanistan, killing more than a dozen people in an area where government forces have clashed recently with Taliban militants.
There was no assertion of responsibility, but the Taliban and other extremist groups have carried out similar attacks in the past.
The bomber detonated an explosive belt after being spotted by a security guard in the main market in the Almar district of Faryab province, about 250 miles northwest of Kabul, officials said.
Almar’s district chief, Mohammad Saleh Saleh, said at least 20 people were killed in the attack on Wednesday.
A local official, cited by the Associated Press, said that at least 15 people were killed and 38 injured — some seriously, which suggests that the fatality count could rise.
