Several Taliban jihadis in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province accidentally blew themselves up while manufacturing improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the top killer in the country, Khaama Press (KP) reported this week.

Citing a statement from the provincial police chief, KP revealed that the incident took place near the restive Qarabagh district in southeastern Ghazni province.

“The statement further added that the Taliban militants were manufacturing improvised explosive devices in a house in Moshaki area of the district when the incident took place,” the Afghan news outlet added. “At least sixteen improvised explosive devices prepared for future attacks were also destroyed in the explosion, the provincial government added.”

The police chief reportedly blasted the Taliban for using IEDs, also known as homemade bombs, against civilians.

IEDs used by Islamic terrorists in Afghanistan are considered the most prominent method used to kill civilians, the United Nations reported this week.

In an October 7 report on civilian casualties during the first nine months of this year, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported:

The leading cause of civilian deaths and injuries from the armed conflict remained the combined use of suicide and non-suicide IEDs by Anti-Government Elements, reaching record high levels in the first three quarters of 2018, with Anti-Government Elements increasingly directing such attacks against the civilian population, including minority Shi’a Muslims, the majority of whom are ethnic Hazara.

Of the 8,050 civilians killed (2,798) and wounded (5,252) between January and September of this year, terrorist IEDs accounted for almost half (3,634) the casualties.

According to the U.N., the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) branch in Afghanistan (52 percent) and to a lesser extent the Taliban (40 percent) are responsible for most of the civilians killed (1,065) and wounded (2,569) by IEDs.

“The killing and maiming of Afghan civilians by improvised explosive devices (IEDs), particularly suicide devices, has reached extreme levels in Afghanistan,” UNAMA noted. “IEDs cause almost half of the civilian casualties from conflict-related violence and are being increasingly used in attacks targeting civilians.”

In recent months, the United States has intensified efforts to convince the Taliban to engage in peace negotiations with the Afghan government. The U.S. has expressed support for Kabul’s offer to the Taliban of a ceasefire and recognition as a legitimate political group. So far, Taliban leaders have rejected the offer.

On Wednesday, Afghanistan’s TOLO News reported that 75 Taliban members in the ISIS stronghold of Nangarhar joined the peace process.