A suicide car bomb explosion claimed by the Taliban happened on Monday morning in front of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) compound in Aybak city, the center northern Samangan province, killing at least 10 people, according to local officials.

The officials also confirmed that 50 others were wounded in the explosion that was followed by a gun battle by Taliban attackers.

The suicide bombing happened at around 11:00 am, said Mohammad Sediq Azizi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

There is no details on how many attackers conducted the attack that was shortly claimed by the Taliban. According to the US-Taliban deal signed between the two sides in February, the militant group committed to avoiding attacks in Afghanistan’s cities. This is the first attack in its kind after the peace deal.

Violence is increasing in many parts of the country amid peace efforts by the Afghan government.

The National Security Council (NSC) on Saturday, July 11, released data on civilian casualties, saying 23 civilians were killed and 45 others were wounded in Taliban violence over the last week.

Figures by the National Security Council indicate that 16 provinces of the country have witnessed 284 attacks by the Taliban in the last seven days.