At least 35 people have been killed in a suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan, which the country’s president said was claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
A motorcycle-riding suicide bomber attacked a crowd of soldiers and civilians gathered outside a bank in Jalalabad, capital of eastern Nangarhar province, to receive their monthly salaries on Saturday. Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said that about 125 people were injured in the attack, reported Fox News.
Hours after the attack took place, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani blamed the attack on IS and told a crowd of 600 people gathered at the provincial government headquarters in Faizabad that if the countrymen did not stand “on the same line united,” then the terror group will wreak havoc in the country.
He also urged the Taliban to join hands with Kabul government and warned that any Taliban who switched allegiance to the IS would earn the wrath of Afghanistan’s religious leaders.
The attack was “condemned/denied” by the Taliban.
It marked a major escalation the nation’s fight against an affiliate of the terror group that now controls large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria. It also came as the U.S. and NATO forces ended their combat mission in the country at the beginning of the year. (ANI)