At least 8 killed in suicide attack in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack in Nangarhar province but the Taliban are active in the region.

A suicide bomber struck at a crowd of people in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on Thursday killing at least eight, officials said, in an attack that underscored worsening security.

A member of the Afghan security forces stands guard near the site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad on November 23, 2017. (AFP)

The bomber approached the crowd of dozens on foot in provincial capital Jalalabad as they were demonstrating in support of a local police commander who had been sacked and calling for his reinstatement, provincial spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said.

“Unfortunately, eight people were killed, all of them civilians,” he said.

A further 15 people including children were also wounded in the explosion, he added.

Afghan residents inspect damages on a building near the site of suicide attack in Jalalabad on November 23, 2017. (AFP)

The casualty toll was also confirmed by provincial health director Najib Kamawal, who said some of those wounded were in a serious condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

But the Taliban are active in Nangarhar province, as are the Islamic State group.

Afghan security forces stand guard near the site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad on November 23, 2017. (AFP)

Afghan and US officials have stepped up their attacks against IS and recently said it is steadily losing territory, with fighters largely confined to two or three districts in Nangarhar from around nine in January.

But the group has intensified attacks across the country, particularly in the east and in the capital Kabul, recruiting followers and in some places challenging the Taliban on its own turf.