mzeiya
Elder Lister
- The blast happened on Saturday morning in Qultaq, a village in Balkh province
- Six foreign nationals were among those killed, according to security services
- Taliban violence has surged in Afghanistan in recent months despite peace talks
- On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan 'before the time is right'
The 209th Shaheen Corps - part of the Afghan National Army - said in a statement that 30 fighters including six foreign nationals who were expert mine makers, had been killed in an explosion on Saturday morning.
The blast happened at a mosque in the village of Qultaq in the Dowlatabad district of Balkh province.
The statement said the bodies of the six foreign nationals could not be identified because of damage caused by the blast.
The Taliban fighters had gathered at the mosque to be trained in how to make bombs and IEDs, the Khaama Press News Agency reported.

The blast happened at a mosque in the village of Qultaq in the Dowlatabad district of Balkh province on Saturday morning
In a separate incident, two children were killed by an IED planted by the Taliban in Qotar Blaq village in Kunduz province, security officials reported.
The deaths come as Taliban attacks and violence have surged across Afghanistan in recent months despite stalled peace talks with the Kabul government.
On Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will not withdraw its troops from Afghanistan 'before the time is right', ahead of a discussion by defence ministers on the deployment.

The 209th Shaheen Corps - part of the Afghan National Army - said in a statement that 30 fighters including six foreign nationals had been killed in the blast