Suicide attack reported at govt building in east Afghanistan

Afghan security forces in Jalalabad respond to the incident site

JALALABAD: A suicide bomber has detonated inside a government building in eastern Afghanistan, a provincial official said Wednesday, with casualties feared in the latest violence to hit the war-torn country.

"Security forces are in the area to rescue the staff" at the electronic identification registration centre in Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province, said provincial spokesperson Ataullah Khogyani.

On Tuesday, Taliban suicide bombers killed at least 48 people and wounded dozens more in two blasts — one at a campaign rally for the president and the other in Kabul — with the insurgents warning of more violence ahead of elections.

The first attack saw a motorcyclist detonate a suicide bomb at a checkpoint leading to a rally where President Ashraf Ghani was addressing supporters in central Parwan province, just north of the capital, killing 26 and wounding 42.

Just over an hour later another blast also claimed by the Taliban rocked central Kabul near the US embassy. Authorities initially did not give casualty figures, but later said 22 people had been killed and a further 38 wounded.