13 killed in Afghanistan blast

Officials in eastern Afghanistan say a suicide bomber has killed at least 13 people and wounded 14, Voice of America (VOA) reported.

A spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government said the bomber detonated his device Sunday morning in Jalalabad at the residential compound of Obaiduallah Shinwari, a prominent member of Nangarhar's provincial council. Shinwari escaped unharmed.

Local media say the explosion happened during a gathering of tribal elders who had gone to the residence to welcome home Shinwari's brother, Saminullah, who had been held by the Taliban for nine months. Reports say Shinwari's father, Malek Osman, was wounded in the explosion.

The Taliban has denied responsibility for the attack.

Shinwari's compound is in the same city where a gun and bomb attack near the Pakistani consulate Wednesday killed seven people. Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for that blast.

Source: MENA