Dozens dead as Afghan wedding hit by rocket

A rocket fired during fighting between Afghan forces and Taliban fighters has killed at least 26 wedding guests in the southern province of Helmand, officials have said. Most of the victims of the attack late on Wednesday in Helmand's Sangin district were women and children. NATO's war in Afghanistan formally ended on Sunday, when the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was replaced by the US-led follow-up mission "Resolute Support", which will focus on training and assisting Afghan forces. N Helmand is a Taliban stronghold where the US and British troops were involved in years of fierce fighting until the NATO withdrawal. "The rocket struck in a firefight between Afghan security forces and the Taliban," said Fareed Ahmad Obaid, police spokesman for Helmand province. Obaid said the victims had been attending a wedding at the time of the attack. Karem Atal, head of Helmand's provincial council, confirmed the incident and said the toll could rise after many wedding guests were rushed to hospital in Lashkar Gah, the provincial capital.

source :aljazeera