Afghanistan: car bomb explodes outside Save the Children office in Jalalabad - The Guardian

Afghanistan
Government spokesman says attackers have entered the aid agency and 11 people have been injured
Attackers have entered the Save the Children office in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad after a car bomb exploded outside.

Provincial government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said the aid agency was targeted early on Wednesday morning.

“At around 9:10am a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at the entrance of Save the Children’s compound in police district three of Jalalabad city,” he said. “A group of armed men then entered the compound.”

A spokesman for the Ningarhar province health department, Inamullah Miakhel, said hospitals were treating at least 12 people for injuries, none of them life- threatening.

Clashes were continuing at the scene on Wednesday morning and television footage showed smoke billowing from a vehicle and sporadic gunfire.

Sohrab Qaderi a provincial council member for Ningarhar, said Afghan special forces were battling two or three attackers armed with hand-grenades, machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

He said the militants had taken up positions on the upper floors of the building, which is surrounded by homes, two schools and a government department.

It was not known if any Save the Children staff remained in the building. A statement from the aid agency said: “We are devastated at the news that our Save the Children office in Jalalabad city, Afghanistan came under attack this morning as armed men entered the building, about 9am today local time.

“Our primary concern is for the safety and security of our staff. We are awaiting further information from our team and cannot comment further at this time.” - Read More

Afghanistan: car bomb explodes outside Save the Children office in ...