Blast at Afghan President's rally kills 26

President Ashraf Ghani and his running mate Amrullah Saleh were unharmed after the blast in Charikar city. The explosion took place when the rally was about to be addressed by the President.

Kabul: At least 26 people were killed and 42 others wounded after an explosion struck a campaign rally of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in the country's Parwan province on Tuesday, officials said.

"We have received 26 dead bodies and 42 wounded persons in the hospital," head of provincial health department Qasim Sangin told media.

Ghani and his running mate Amrullah Saleh were unharmed after the blast in Charikar city. The explosion took place when the rally was about to be addressed by the President."The incident occurred at 11.40 a.m. when a sticky bomb attached to a motorcycle was detonated outside a compound where the meeting was held," said provincial police spokesman Mohammad Salim Noori.However, provincial police chief Mahfoz Walizada said eight people were killed and 12 wounded.Without providing information, the official said an investigation was underway.No group claimed responsibility for the bombing but the Taliban had earlier vowed to disrupt the presidential election set for September 28.It will be the fourth presidential election in Afghanistan since 2001 when the US-led coalition forces invaded Afghanistan, which led to the ouster of the Taliban regime in the country.