At least 15 people were killed and 20 wounded in an explosion in Ghazni province of Afghanistan, reported TOLOnews. The explosives were loaded on a motorbike parked near a house where people had gathered for the Quran recitation ceremony. 

The incident happened in Agho Jan village of Gelan district in the province on Friday afternoon, confirmed Tariq Arian, the spokesperson of the interior ministry. 

No group has taken the responsibility for the attack. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack. He said, “Taliban should accept the people’s call for a ceasefire, refrain from terrorist attacks that are against humanity and Islam, and the group should accept peace process.”   

Children are also among those killed in the explosion. 

Calling the act a “crime against humanity,” former President Hamid Karzai said it is the work of the enemies of peace and security in Afghanistan. The success of ongoing intra-Afghan negotiation is the only way to end the sufferings of our people, he added. 

Both, the Taliban and the Afghan government, have taken 23 days break from the intra-Afghan talks in Doha, Qatar. A delegation of the Taliban’s political commission is also camping in Pakistan to consult Pakistan’s leadership and also their own military commanders that reside in Pakistan.