30 killed in Afghanistan bank suicide bombing

Afghan security forces members inspect the site of the suicide attack near a new Kabul Bank in Jalalabad, east of Kabul. Picture: AP

A SUICIDE bomb attack on a bank branch in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad has killed at least 30 people, officials said.

Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the provincial governor in Nangarhar province, said that more than 80 people were also wounded in yesterday’s attack in Jalalabad, the provincial capital.

“There are reports of many wounded people in critical condition at the hospital,” Abdulzai said.

The attacker detonated an explosive-laden motorcycle, targeting a crowd of military personnel and civilians who were gathered outside the bank to receive their monthly salaries. The bank is in the heart of a crowded commercial district, Abdulzai said.

Another blast was reported yesterday near a shrine in Jalalabad, but no one was hurt. A third blast was also heard in Jalalabad, but it was later reported as a controlled explosion by the Afghan army in Nangarhar, Abdulzai added.

Meanwhile, another bombing in the Behsud district of Nangarhar province killed one civilian and wounded two others, Abdulzai said, adding that it appears a magnetic bomb was attached to a parked car and then detonated by remote control.

The Pakistani government, which is co-ordinating with Afghanistan on counter-terrorism issues, condemned the attacks. A statement released by the Pakistani foreign ministry called the bombings cowardly and indiscriminate.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.