Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The attack sends a huge plume of black smoke into the sky

Attackers have detonated explosives before storming the offices of the Save the Children charity in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

At least two people have been killed and 12 injured, officials say. It is believed about 50 staff were in the building at the time.

The Islamic State group has said three of its fighters are behind the attack, which is said to have now ended.

Save the Children has temporarily suspended all of its Afghan programmes.

What's the latest?

The attack started at about 09:10 local time (04:40 GMT) on Wednesday when a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle explosive at the entrance to the Save the Children compound, Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, told the BBC.

An eyewitness who was inside the compound at the time told AFP news agency that he saw a gunman hitting the main gate with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

Image copyright Reuters Image caption A suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at the entrance to the Save the Children compound

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Security forces dashed to seal off the area

Afghan commandos joined police to try to end the attack.

About 45 people were reported to have been rescued from the basement, as fighting continued on the upper floors.

Earlier, one WhatsApp message, reported by AFP to be from an employee, had read: "I can hear two attackers... They are looking for us. Pray for us... Inform the security forces."

There are several other aid agencies in the area, along with government offices.

Who is responsible?

The Islamic State group said in a message on its news outlet Amaq that three attackers and an explosives-laden car had targeted "British, Swedish and Afghan institutions in Jalalabad".

The city has been a stronghold for IS, whose fighters have been active there since 2015.

The Taliban had earlier denied carrying out the attack.

Their fighters had been behind the storming of a luxury hotel in Kabul at the weekend that killed at least 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Residents flee the area amid the attack

What has Save the Children said?

A statement from Save the Children said the group was "devastated" at the news of the attack, confirmed the incident was ongoing and added: "Our primary concern is for the safety and security of our staff."

It continued: "All of our programmes across Afghanistan have been temporarily suspended and our offices are closed."

But it said it remained "committed to resuming our operations and lifesaving work as quickly as possible".

The UN's mission in Afghanistan said: "Attacks directed at civilians or aid organisations are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes."

UK Secretary of State for International Development Penny Mordaunt condemned the attack in a departmental tweet.

What is Save the Children's Afghan work?

The charity has been working in Afghanistan since 1976. It currently runs programmes across 16 provinces in Afghanistan.

According to the aid agency, more than 700,000 children in Afghanistan have been reached over the years through its efforts.

The organisation says it aims to provide better access to education, healthcare and essential supplies to children across the globe.

Are charity groups targeted in Afghanistan?

They continue to work under tough conditions in the country, facing regular attacks and kidnappings.

The Red Cross announced in October that it was drastically reducing its presence in Afghanistan after seven of its staff were killed in attacks in 2017.

Attacks over the years include:

Additionally, the US bombing of a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Kunduz in October 2015 killed 22 people.</s>JALALABAD-(MaraviPost)-Attackers have detonated explosives before storming the offices of the Save the Children charity in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

At least two people have been killed and 12 injured, officials say. It is believed about 50 staff were in the building at the time.

The Islamic State group has said three of its fighters are behind the attack, which is said to have now ended.

Save the Children has temporarily suspended all of its Afghan programmes.

The attack started at about 09:10 local time (04:40 GMT) on Wednesday when a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle explosive at the entrance to the Save the Children compound, Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, told the BBC.

An eyewitness who was inside the compound at the time told AFP news agency that he saw a gunman hitting the main gate with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

About 45 people were reported to have been rescued from the basement, as fighting continued on the upper floors.

Earlier, one WhatsApp message, reported by AFP to be from an employee, had read: “I can hear two attackers… They are looking for us. Pray for us… Inform the security forces.”

There are several other aid agencies in the area, along with government offices.

 Who is responsible?

The Islamic State group said in a message on its news outlet Amaq that three attackers and an explosives-laden car had targeted “British, Swedish and Afghan institutions in Jalalabad”.

The city has been a stronghold for IS, whose fighters have been active there since 2015. The Taliban had earlier denied carrying out the attack.

Their fighters had been behind the storming of a luxury hotel in Kabul at the weekend that killed at least 22 people, mostly foreigners.

What has Save the Children said?

A statement from Save the Children said the group was “devastated” at the news of the attack, confirmed the incident was ongoing and added: “Our primary concern is for the safety and security of our staff.”

It continued: “All of our programmes across Afghanistan have been temporarily suspended and our offices are closed.”

But it said it remained “committed to resuming our operations and lifesaving work as quickly as possible”.

The UN’s mission in Afghanistan said: “Attacks directed at civilians or aid organisations are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.”

UK Secretary of State for International Development Penny Mordaunt condemned the attack in a departmental tweet.

What is Save the Children’s Afghan work?

The charity has been working in Afghanistan since 1976. It currently runs programmes across 16 provinces in Afghanistan.

According to the aid agency, more than 700,000 children in Afghanistan have been reached over the years through its efforts.

The organisation says it aims to provide better access to education, healthcare and essential supplies to children across the globe.

They continue to work under tough conditions in the country, facing regular attacks and kidnappings.

The Red Cross announced in October that it was drastically reducing its presence in Afghanistan after seven of its staff were killed in attacks in 2017.

May 2017: Attackers storm a guesthouse run by a Swedish NGO, Operation Mercy, killing a German woman and Afghan guard.

July 2014: Gunmen shoot dead two Finnish women working for a Christian aid charity, the International Assistance Mission (IAM), in the western city of Herat.

August 2010: 10 members of an eye care team working for IAM are shot dead in Nuristan province

Additionally, the US bombing of a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital in Kunduz in October 2015 killed 22 people.</s>Three people have been killed in a car bomb and gun attack on the office of the non-governmental organisation, Save the Children, in eastern Afghanistan, according to local officials.

Two security guards and one civilian were killed and at least 25 others were wounded when a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb outside the headquarters of the international charity in Jalalabad early on Wednesday morning.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack via the group’s Amaq website, describing the targets as “British and Swedish institutes”.

Al Jazeera’s Jennifer Glasse, reporting from Kabul, said 47 people were rescued from the office building after Afghan security forces and the attackers battled each other for more than eight hours.

“A harrowing day for them, more than eight-and-a-half hours trapped inside that building with those attackers. They have been rescued,” she said.

At least two attackers have been killed since the fighting broke out, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Jalalabad, Humayoon Babur, an Afghan journalist, said the attack had taken place in “the heart of the city”.

“[The area] is home to many government buildings … [and]the provincial government office,” he said.

Save the Children said it was suspending its operations in Afghanistan until it was safe to resume work.

In a statement, the children’s aid group confirmed that three of its staff members were killed.

“Save the Children condemns this attack in the strongest possible terms,” it said.

“We are shocked and appalled at the violence, carried out against our staff in Afghanistan who are dedicated humanitarians, committed to improving the lives and wellbeing of millions of children across the country.”

Monica Zanarelli, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Afghanistan, has called the attack “outrageous”.

“Increased violence has made operating in Afghanistan difficult for many organisations,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The ICRC … will continue focusing on our dialogue with arm carriers – both the Afghan National Security Forces and the armed opposition – to discuss the principles of International Humanitarian Law and the respect for civilians and medical missions.”

The Jalalabad attack comes just days after at least 18 civilians were killed and 22 others wounded in an assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul.

The Taliban has since claimed responsibility for that assault, which lasted for 16 hours from the evening of January 20 before all the attackers were killed.

Michael Semple, a professor at Queen’s University Belfast and an expert on Afghanistan, said it was too early to say who was behind Wednesday’s attack, or the rationale behind it.

Looking at recent trends more broadly, however, Semple told Al Jazeera “the Taliban seem to be acting as if all foreigners – the foreign presence – is for them somehow important”.

“They say that they are attacking the invaders and rather than focusing on military targets, they are prepared to go with any element of the foreign presence in Afghanistan,” he said.</s>According to Afghan TOLO news agency citing local officials, gunmen have stormed the 'Save the Children' office in Jalalabad in the Nangarhar province.

A spokesman for the provincial governor cited by the media outlet said that the fighting between the attackers and security forces is underway.

Officials confirmed that one suicide bomber detonated explosives at the gate of the building to help gunmen enter.

"The there was a blast and the target was Save the Children," provincial government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said.

According to health officials, at least 11 people have been injured in the attack.

TOLO news agency cited eyewitnesses as saying that children attending a nearby school have been seen running from the area amid gunfire.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Save the Children is a London-based international organization that promotes children's rights, provides relief and helps support children in developing countries.</s>Save The Children Office In Jalalabad Attacked By Insurgents

Insurgents attacked an office of the nongovernmental organization Save the Children in Jalalabad on Wednesday. The attack came two days after another on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul that left an unspecified number of Americans dead.</s>Jalalabad: Gunmen stormed an office of Save the Children aid agency in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, witnesses said, in an ongoing attack that has wounded at least 11 people.

"At around 9:10 am a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at the entrance of Save the Children`s compound in police district three of Jalalabad city," Nangarhar governor spokesperson Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.

"A group of armed men then entered the compound. So far 11 wounded people have been brought to hospitals."

Mohammad Amin, who was inside the compound when the attackers stormed inside, told AFP from his hospital bed that he heard "a big blast".

"We ran for cover and I saw a gunman hitting the main gate with an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) to enter the compound. I jumped out of the window," Amin said.

The attack comes days after Taliban gunmen raided a luxury hotel in Kabul, killing at least 22 people, mostly foreigners.</s>Security forces scramble after attackers strike a compound used by Save the Children in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.</s>Unidentified gunmen attacked the Save the Children organisation’s office in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad city on Wednesday, local daily Tolonews reported. At least 11 people were injured in the attack, unidentified hospital authorities said.

Save the Children is an international non-governmental organisation which promotes children’s rights and provides them relief and support.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the gate of the compound at around 9 am local time (10.30 am Indian Standard Time). After this, gunmen entered the Save the Children office and opened fire.

Attaullah Khoghyani, a spokesperson for Nangarhar Provincial Governor Mohammad Gulab Mangal told Tolonews that security forces and the attackers are engaged in crossfire. Eyewitnesses reported children from a nearby school fleeing while gunfire could be heard.

On Saturday, gunmen attacked and laid siege to the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, killing 18 people. The siege ended after a 14-hour operation by security forces.</s>Afghan security personnels near Save the Children's office after an attack in Jalalabad. (AFP)</s>Uniformed and plainclothed Afghan security forces patrol the site of a deadly suicide attack in Jalalabad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor said a group of gunmen stormed the office of the non-governmental organization, Save the Children. (AP Photo)

JALALABAD: Save the Children suspended operations across Afghanistan on Wednesday as Islamic State militants terrorised staff trapped inside one of its offices in an hours-long attack, the latest assault on a foreign charity.

Gunmen blasted their way into the British aid group's compound in the eastern city of Jalalabad, killing at least three people and wounding 24.

Save the Children, an AFP reporter at the scene and a security source said the attack was continuing in the early evening, hours after an official claimed it was over.

"Save the Children can confirm that the security incident affecting our office in Jalalabad, Afghanistan is still ongoing," a spokesperson said in a statement.

"In response to this all of our programmes across Afghanistan have been temporarily suspended and our offices are closed."

After blowing up a car outside the charity's compound in Jalalabad, the attackers used a rocket-propelled grenade to storm the complex, in a raid claimed by IS via its propaganda arm Amaq.

Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial governor, said at least three people -- two guards and a civilian -- had been killed and 24 wounded. Earlier, he said the attackers were wearing military uniforms.

Up to 50 people including women were rescued from a basement where they had been hiding from attackers, Khogyani said in a statement.

Mohammad Amin, who was inside the compound when the attackers launched the raid at 9:10 am (0440 GMT), told AFP from his hospital bed that he heard "a big blast".

"We ran for cover and I saw a gunman hitting the main gate with an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) to enter the compound. I jumped out of the window," Amin said.

Afghan TV news channels showed a thick plume of black smoke rising above the compound and what appeared to be at least one vehicle on fire outside the office.

IS has intensified attacks in cities in recent months, targeting mosques and Afghan security forces as it expands beyond its stronghold in the east.

- Charities targeted -

 Wednesday's assault comes days after Taliban gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in the Afghan capital and killed at least 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Insurgents armed with Kalashnikovs and suicide vests attacked the landmark Intercontinental Hotel, going from room to room searching for foreigners during the more than 12-hour ordeal.

"Attacks directed at civilians or aid organisations are clear violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes," the UN's mission in Afghanistan tweeted earlier.

The assault on Save the Children, which has operated in Afghanistan since 1976, is the latest violence to hit a foreign aid group in the country, which recorded the second highest number of attacks against aid workers in 2016.

Only South Sudan was more dangerous, according to UK-based research group Humanitarian Outcomes.

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced in October it would "drastically" reduce its presence in Afghanistan after seven employees were killed in attacks last year.

Nangarhar, a restive province bordering Pakistan, is a stronghold for IS and also has a significant Taliban presence.

US and Afghan forces have been carrying out ground and air operations against IS fighters in the province.

While Afghan security forces are conducting most of the fighting against IS and Taliban militants, US troops operate alongside them in a training capacity and are frequently on the front lines.

The last major attack in Jalalabad was on December 31 when an explosion at a funeral killed 18 mourners and wounded 13. There was no claim of responsibility.
Attackers detonate explosives before storming the offices of the Save the Children charity in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.