KABUL, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Three civilians were killed and nine civilians wounded when a bomb struck a funeral in Afghanistan's eastern Laghman province on Monday, an Interior Ministry spokesman confirmed.
"The ceremony was underway to pay tribute to a deceased tribal leader in Khas village of Dawlat Shahi district in the morning. Rescue teams, police and security forces rushed to the site and shifted the wounded to the hospital," spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told Xinhua.
The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) and more details would be made public later as investigation is underway to find more facts about the incident, the official added.
All the wounded were in stable condition, he said.
He blamed enemies of peace, referring to the Taliban militant group, for the attack.
More than 2,560 civilians were killed and over 5,670 others injured in conflict-related incidents in the first nine months of this year, according to figures released by the United Nations mission in the country.
The IED explosions, including IED-induced roadside bomb blasts and suicide attacks, were the leading cause of civilians' casualties in the first nine months of 2019, followed by ground fighting and pro-government forces-related airstrikes.
