John Bacon

USA TODAY

At least 45 people were killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vest during a volleyball match in eastern Afghanistan Sunday in the nation's deadliest terrorist attack this year.

Paktika province spokesman Mokhlis Afghan said at least 70 more were injured, many critically, the Afghanistan Timesreported.



The attack came hours after Afganistan's Parliament accepted a deal allowing thousands of NATO and U.S. troops to remain in the country into 2015. The agreement — approved by President Obama — allows U.S. forces to continue to fight al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and aid Afghan troops under attack. That plan also allows for continued air support for the Afghan military.

Deputy Gov. Attaullah Fazli told Afghanistan's Pajhwok News Service that a bicyclist blew himself up when the grounds were packed with viewers and players.

Most of the victims were young men and boys, including children, Afghan said. Scores of police officers also were killed or injured, he said. The bomber was in a large crowd when he set off the explosives.

"There were too many people gathered in the one place to watch the game," Afghan said. Volleyball is a popular sport in Afghanistan, and targeting the event could ensure maximum casualties.

No group claimed responsibility. President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning the incident as "an inhumane and barbaric act. These kinds of attacks are against the teachings of Islam and humanity. ... It is the handiwork of the enemy of Afghanistan."

The president called Paktika Gov. Muhibullah Samim and directed him to investigate the "tragic incident and leave no stone unturned to nab the perpetrators."

Paktika, bordering Pakistan and one of Afghanistan's most volatile regions, is a base of operations for Taliban and affiliated insurgent groups waging an intensifying war against the government in Kabul. In April, a suicide bomber blew up a car packed with explosives near a busy market and a mosque in Paktika, killing 43.

Attacks across the country have escalated this year amid a contentious election and President Ashraf Ghani's inauguration in September. The insurgents use their attacks to make clear their opposition to Ghani's administration.

Afghanistan's first deputy president, Abdul Rashid Dostum, welcomed Obama's decision, saying Sunday, "The United States knows that the Afghan army needs more equipment, that the army are being killed in Taliban attacks."

The decision had been under negotiation for some time as the U.S. transitions to an advice-and-support role. Afghanistan's armed forces have been seeking continued air support because of their limited capabilities, and the United States always intended to leave behind a counterterrorism force.

The U.S. plans to draw down to 9,800 troops by the end of this year and pull all of them out of the country by the end of 2016.

Contributing: Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY; The Associated Press