Two gunmen took several people hostage in a government building in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad on Tuesday after a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the entrance, Reuters reported. Local provincial council member Sohrab Qaderi said 40 people are believed to be trapped inside the building.
Unidentified officials said eight people were injured after the suicide bomber blew himself up in a car near the gate. No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
Provincial government spokesperson Attaullah Khogyani said the attack took place during a meeting with non-governmental organisations working on refugee-related matter.
Earlier on Tuesday, at least eight people were killed and 40 injured as a mine explosion hit a passenger bus in western Afghanistan’s Farah province. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
The attacks come days after at least 11 people were killed in an explosion within minutes of Afghanistan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum’s return to Kabul after a year-and-a-half in exile in Turkey. The attack, which took place on July 22, is believed to be a suicide bomb attack. On July 11, militants attacked an education department building in Jalalabad, killing 10 people.
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