REUTERS. People in Herat woke up to destroyed houses and shops on Saturday (March 13) after a late-night car bomb killed at least seven and wounded more than 50 others.
The powerful car bomb was detonated near a police station on Friday (March 12) and its impact brought down buildings, shattered glass leaving residents stunned.
No one claimed responsibility for the bombing but local officials blamed the Taliban insurgents. Representatives of the Taliban, which has been fighting a foreign-backed Afghan government since they were ousted from power by U.S.-led forces in late 2001, were not immediately available to comment.
Peace negotiations between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha have struggled to make progress amid international calls to reduce violence.
Russia plans to hold a conference on Afghanistan in Moscow on March 18 and has invited several regional players, including Afghan government and politicians to jumpstart the peace process as diplomacy by foreign powers including Washington ramps up. It comes at a crunch time for the peace process as a May 1 deadline for foreign troops to withdraw from Afghanistan looms and the United States reviews its plans.
