At Least 10 Killed In Militant Attack In Eastern Afghanistan

Afghan officials say at least 10 people have been killed in a militant attack on a government facility in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

Two suicide bombers attacked the building of the provincial education department in the eastern city of Jalalabad on July 11, sparking an hourslong gunbattle with security forces.

Nangarhar provincial police chief General Ghulam Sanayee Stanekzai said one suicide bomber detonated his explosives while a second was shot dead by security forces.

Attaullah Khugyani, a provincial government spokesman, said the 10 people killed were all employees of the provincial education department.

He said the 10 others wounded in the attack were taken to city hospitals, with five discharged after first aid.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, the third in the past two weeks in the city.

Both the Taliban and the Islamic State (IS) extremist group have carried out numerous attacks in Nangarhar Province.

On July 10, a suicide bombing close to a security checkpoint In Jalalabad killed at least 12 people. IS militants claimed responsibility.

On July 1, a suicide bomber targeted a group of Hindus and Sikhs in Jalalabad, killing at least 19 people and wounding some 20 others.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa