Afghanistan: bomb and mortars kill 23 civilians in Helmand

Afghan security forces on patrol in Helmand, Afghanistan, on 14 June, 2020. EPA

At least 23 people, including children, died in a car bomb and mortar attack at a busy market in Helmand province in Afghanistan.

The Taliban and the Afghan military are blaming each other for the attack on Monday in Sangin district, in the south of the province.

The Taliban claimed the military fired mortars into the market, while the military said the militants used a car bomb and mortar shells against civilians.

The army said there was no military activity in the area on Monday, and that two Taliban fighters were also killed when the car bomb detonated at the marketplace.

The UN recently asked both sides in the conflict to be more careful about avoiding civilian casualties, which it said was on the increase.