Death toll from Jalalabad suicide blast climbs to 15

JALALABAD (PAN): The death toll from a Wednesday car suicide bombing in Jalalabad city, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, on Thursday rose to 15 as two seriously injured people died in hospital, officials said.

Another 21 were injured when a suicide attacker rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into a bus, carrying police cadets, on the outskirts of the city, killing a dozen people on the spot. The dead included policemen and civilians.

The attack at around 4:45pm took place on the Jalalabad-Torkham highway, the key supply route for NATO.

Ahmadzia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the provincial governor, said the attacker targeted a mini-bus carrying police cadets from a training centre.

He said the dead and injured people included civilians and police.

Two of the 21 injured people on Thursday succumbed to their wounds in Jalalabad hospital, taking the death toll from 13 to 15, Sefurahman, a doctor on duty told Pajhwok Afghan News.  

He said some of the injured people were discharged after treatment and six others were under treatment.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack. Rebel spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said one of their fighters carried out the attack that killed 25 police trainers and cadets and destroyed the bus comprehensively.

mrh/ma

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