SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Aug. 31 -- Three children were injured as a bomb went off in a wedding ceremony in Shiberghan. the capital of northern Jauzjan province on Tuesday, provincial police chief Rahmatullah Turkistani said.

"A bomb blast ripped through a wedding party in a local hotel in Shiberghan city at around 03:30 p.m. local time today injuring three innocent children," Tukistani told Xinhua.

"The reason for the gruesome incident is apparently enmity," the official said, adding those behind the crime have been identified and efforts are underway to arrest and bring them to justice.

Similarly, governor of Jauzjan province Lutfullah Azizi in talks with Xinhua confirmed the incident, saying it was a sticky bomb and the obvious target, the groom, has escaped unhurt.

Investigation has been initiated to determine the reason for the bomb attack in a wedding hall in the relatively peaceful Jauzjan province, the governor added.