100 government officials poisoned in Afghanistan

ASADABAD (AFP) - At least 100 Afghan policemen and government officials, including a deputy provincial governor, were poisoned after eating their evening meal, officials said Sunday.

A man claiming to be from the Taliban said he had carried out the mass poisoning but NATO’s military force, which offered medical treatment, said it was believed to be a straightforward case of food poisoning.

About 100 men fell ill in the eastern province of Nuristan late Saturday after eating iftar, the evening meal that breaks a day of fasting during Ramazan, deputy provincial governor Abdul Halim told AFP.