A suicide bomber has killed a senior religious official in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad while 27 Taliban fighters died in a US drone attack in Kunar province that lies in the country’s northeast.
A member of Kunar’s council told the German news agency (dpa) on Wednesday that Taliban fighters had gathered at a religious school when the drone attack took place.
It was not clear if the dead fighters belonged to the Afghan Taliban or a faction belonging to Pakistan’s Taliban.
Also, a suicide bomber in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad killed a senior religious official and his bodyguard on Wednesday and wounded at least 11 people, officials said.
The suicide bomber approached Abdul Zaher Haqqani, Nangarhar provincial director of religious affairs, and detonated his explosive vest, the provincial governor’s spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, said.
“He was coming off a bridge when the attacker approached him and blew himself up close to his car,” Khogyani added.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, according to Reuters.
However, ISIS claimed it was behind the attack, the militant group’s news agency AMAQ said without providing any evidence.
Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan, is a volatile province which has become one of the main bases for ISIS militants who fight both the government and the Taliban.
