Afghanistan suicide bomb in Jalalabad leaves many dead

At least 33 people have been killed and 100 injured in a suicide bomb attack in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

The blast happened outside a bank where government staff and military personnel were collecting their salaries.  A spokesman for a group claiming to represent Islamic State in Afghanistan said it carried out the attack, though the BBC cannot verify the claim.

The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Kabul says it is the largest attack in Jalalabad in many months.  Children are said to be among the victims.

President Ashraf Ghani called it a "cowardly and heinous terrorist act".  On a visit to north-eastern Badakhshan province, he said: "Who claimed responsibility for the horrific attack in Nangarhar [province] today? The Taliban did not claim responsibility for the attack. Daesh [IS] claimed responsibility."

After years of Nato intervention, the challenge of fighting extremist groups is now solely in the hands of Afghan forces, but a new report indicates the number of troops and police is falling and creating new security risks.  Read More at BBC

Afghanistan suicide bomb in Jalalabad leaves many dead
ISIS militant bomber on motorbike kills 33 at bank in Afghanistan - CNN