Incident Summary:

03/03/2017: An explosive device detonated targeting civilians in Bala Buluk, Farah, Afghanistan. At least eight civilians were killed and 20 were injured in the blast. No group claimed responsibility for the incident.

GTD ID:
201703030023

When:
2017-03-03

Country:
Afghanistan

Region:
South Asia

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Farah

City:
Bala Buluk district

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Bombing/Explosion
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property
Name of Entity Not Applicable
Specific Description Civilians
Nationality of Target Afghanistan
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Unknown
Extent of Property Damage Unknown
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Explosives Unknown Explosive Type
Weapon Details
A roadside bomb was used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) Yes
Alternate Designation (more) State Actors
Additional Information There is doubt that this incident meets terrorism-related criteria. Sources suspected that the explosion may have been the result of an airstrike carried out by the military rather than a roadside bomb planted by militants. Casualty numbers conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the lowest reliable estimates are reported here.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Unknown No
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 8 Fatalities / 20 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 8
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 20
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Eight civilians including 4 children killed in Afghanistan in an ‘air strike’," Hindustan Times, March 4, 2017.
"Eight Civilians Reportedly Killed In Farah Airstrike," Frontier Post, March 4, 2017.
"Eight civilians killed in Afghanistan blast," IANS Live, March 4, 2017.