10 deminers killed in attack in Afghanistan

Kabul, June 9 (IANS) At least ten people were killed in an attack on deminers in the northern province of Baghlan, the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.At least 14 more were injured when a camp of deminers was attacked on Tuesday night in the province's Baghlan-e Markazi district, the statement added.So far, no one has claimed the incident, though the Interior Ministry blamed the militant Taliban, DPA reported.A Taliban spokesperson said he had to look into the incident.Local media reported that the attacked demining camp was run by the international mine clearance organization Halo Trust.According to the website of the non-governmental organization, Halo Trust has 2,600 employees in Afghanistan. The demining program in the country is completely Afghan-led.In the past, aid projects and NGOs in Afghanistan have been repeatedly attacked.According to non-governmental organization Inso, 180 incidents involving NGOs in Afghanistan were registered in 2020. Fourteen employees were killed, 27 injured and 42 kidnapped.
--IANS int/