Two mortar attacks have killed two people and wounded dozens more in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar.
The mortar shells targeted a market in Asad Abad, the provincial capital of Kunar, Abdul Ghani Musamim, the spokesman for the Kunar provincial governor, said on Thursday.
The people had gathered in the market to celebrate Afghanistan's Independence Day.
In a Thursday speech marking the occasion, President Ashraf Ghani said that Afghanistan was not alone in its battle against extremist groups like the Taliban and Daesh.
Ghani said the country had the backing of the international community in its fight against the militants and that the Afghan people would prevail in this battle.
He said that under no circumstances will Afghanistan become a safe haven again for militants and that extremists will not succeed in the country.
With the support of the Afghan people, security forces will turn Afghanistan into a mass grave for the militants, the Afghan leader said.
Ghani pointed out that unity among the Afghans was also necessary to overcome the country's problems, saying, "We can resolve problems together.”
Afghanistan is still suffering from insecurity and violence years after the United States and its allies invaded the country.
The US-led military invasion in 2001 removed the Taliban, but Afghanistan is still gripped by insecurity and violence as militants seek to wrest control over it.
