Afghanistan: Explosion rocks Herat city; one killed, 5 injured, reports local media

An explosion in the city of Herat in Afghanistan killed one and injured five, TOLO News reported.

According to the report, the incident took place in Minarets Road in the city at around 10 pm local time. The explosives were reportedly placed in a hand cart.

Among those injured was a police officer. TOLO News reported that the Public Health Directorate had said two people were in critical condition.

The news comes close on the heels of the suicide attack in Kabul on July 23 in which over 80 people were killed. The attack, against a demonstration by the mainly Shi'ite Hazara, was among the worst in Afghanistan since the fall of the former Taliban regime in 2001.

It was claimed by Islamic State, which had never carried out any operation on a comparable scale in Afghanistan, raising fears of a new escalation and the kind of sectarian violence which has so far been relatively uncommon.