MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Four Afghan civilians were killed and 14 others wounded after mortars fired by the Taliban militants stuck a local bazaar in northern Afghan province of Faryab on Thursday, local police confirmed.
"The incident occurred roughly at 11:30 a.m. local time, when several mortar shells fired by Taliban militants landed in the bazaar of Shirin Tagab district," Abdul Karim Yourush, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua.
The militants' aim was to target an Afghan National Defense and Security Forces' base, but the mortars missed hitting a crowd in the district's bazaar, according to Yourush.
He said at least 12 women and children were affected. The wounded civilians were taken to the provincial hospital, with no report about their health situation.
The Afghan civilians continue to bear the brunt of armed conflicts as more than 1,280 civilians were killed and over 2,170 others wounded due to fighting in the country in the first six months of 2020, according to the figures of the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The UNAMA has attributed 58 percent of civilian casualties to the Taliban and other insurgent groups. Enditem
