Police officer killed in explosion that injured children and journalists in Afghanistan

The death of a security officer and the injuries of five journalists and three Afghan children are the preliminary result of an explosion that occurred in Maraz-i-Sharif in northern Afghanistan, a police source said.

The explosion occurred during a National Journalist’s Day ceremony and the artifact exploded after the intervention of a senior Taliban official as a choir of children began to sing the Afghan national anthem.

“When the explosion happened, chaos reigned. Everyone was trying to find a way to escape, fearing the building would collapse,” Afghan journalist Atif Arian, who was shot in one ear, told France-Presse (AFP) news agency, adding that some of his colleagues were “badly injured.”