13 killed in election rally suicide bombing in Afghanistan

At least 13 people were killed and 30 others wounded after a suicide bombing ripped through an election rally in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar on Tuesday, a local official said.

"The incident occurred at a parliamentary election candidate's house at around mid-day in Sangar Saray locality of Kama district east of provincial capital Jalalabad city. The initial information by district officials found that 13 people were killed and 30 others injured in the blast," the official who declined to be named told Xinhua.

Candidate Abdul Nasir Mohmand was wounded after the explosion and the assailant was also killed on the spot, he added.

The casualties were shifted to nearby hospitals by ambulances and police vehicles.

Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial government spokesman, when approached by Xinhua, confirmed the incident, saying further details about the incident will be released after an ongoing investigation.

The electoral campaign for the Oct. 20 Afghan parliamentary elections began Friday across the country.

Around 2,691 candidates from 33 out of 34 provinces (excluding Ghazni) will run for the parliament's 249 seats, another milestone in the war-torn country's electoral history.

More than 50 people, including seven election candidates, have been killed in election-related attacks across the country this year.

About 240 Afghan civilians were killed and 350 others injured in clashes and terrorist attacks in September, a monitor group reported earlier Tuesday.

On Sept.11, at least 68 people were killed and 165 others wounded when a suicide bomber targeted a protest rally in neighboring Muhmand Dara district, the independent Civilian Protection Advocacy Group (CPAG) said in a press release.