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At least 19 killed in Kabul Cricket Stadium attack, says UN chief

DPA WORLD
Published July 30,2022
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A Taliban fighter stands guard at the site of an explosion in front of the Kabul International Cricket Stadium, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, July 29, 2022. (AP Photo)

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has condemned Friday's blast at the Kabul International Cricket Stadium and also noted that at least 19 civilians had died, a higher number than had been initially provided.

There were additional casualties too, Guterres tweeted on Saturday.

Pakistan's ambassador to Kabul echoed the same death toll and later updated his statement on Twitter, apparently following a reaction by the Taliban.

"We hope that our countrymen, foreign guests, diplomats and international leaders are not directly campaigning for those evil people who do not want the happiness of Afghans," the Taliban Kabul police department said in a statement.

Taliban security officials say the blast was caused by a hand grenade and did not provide an exact number of casualties.

At least 13 wounded people were taken to the hospital run by the Italian non-governmental organization (NGO) Emergency in the capital city.

The Taliban, who claim that with their return to power, they are ensuring the nation's, have sought to hide security incidents from the media.

The latest attack drew international attention, apparently due to the presence of a senior UN official who was in the audience when the blast occurred.

A UN spokesperson told dpa that no UN staff had been harmed.