24 killed, 30 injured in a blast near Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s rally in Parwan

Afghan officials say a sticky bomb attached to a police vehicle went off near a campaign rally by President Ashraf Ghani in the country's northern Parwan province killing 24 people and leaving 30 wounded.

The president's campaign spokesman Hamed Aziz says that Ghani was there but that he is safe and unharmed. Aziz said he would provide more details later.

Wahida Shahkar, spokeswoman for the provincial governor in Parwan, says the explosion happened while the rally was underway on Tuesday, at the entrance to the venue.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Across Afghanistan, militant attacks have continued as the country prepares for presidential elections later this month.