Suicide blast kills at least 10 in eastern Afghanistan

A suicide car bomber detonated outside the home of an anti-Taliban fighter in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar today, killing at least ten people and wounding 23 more, local officials said.

The bomber "detonated his explosives-laden car outside the house of a local 'uprising' commander this evening", said Nangarhar police chief Zrawar Zahed, referring to Afghan villagers who take up arms against the Taliban with the government's backing.

A spokesman for the Nangarhar governor confirmed the attack in Nazyan district, and said 10 "civilians" had been killed with 23 wounded.

Zahed said Malek Dehqan, the target of the attack, was among the wounded.
 

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Taliban are active in Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.

But the province also faces an emerging threat from loyalists of the Syria-headquartered Islamic State group, which is making gradual inroads in Afghanistan -- challenging the Taliban on their own turf.