Afghan elders killed in IS suicide bomb

At least four people are dead and seven others wounded after a suicide bomber attack in eastern Afghanistan.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack that devastated a gathering of local elders in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar.

Afghan officials said four people were killed and seven wounded in the attack on Monday, while a statement from Islamic State said 15 "apostates" were killed and 25 wounded.

Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar which is the main stronghold of Islamic State in Afghanistan, said the meeting of elders had been called to settle a dispute between local people when the bomber staged his attack.

Councils of tribal elders are a fundamental means of managing affairs in many parts of Afghanistan where government control is weak but they have been targeted by Islamic State as it seeks to establish its own authority in eastern Afghanistan.

The militant group, which in Afghanistan is based mainly in Nangarhar, issued a picture of the suicide bomber and said he had opened fire on the gathering before detonating his explosive belt, an account corroborated by survivors.

President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement condemning the attack.


Share
1 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world