The death toll from a suicide bomb attack at a protest gathering in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on Tuesday has risen to 68, with 165 wounded, a government official said.

The provincial governor's spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, issued a statement with a revised casualty total on Wednesday after earlier estimates put the death toll at 32.

Scores of demonstrators had blocked the highway between the provincial capital Jalalabad and a key border crossing with Pakistan when the bomber struck.

The protesters had come from Achin district to demand the removal of a local police commander.

The attack was one of the worst in Afghanistan for months but security officials have warned that similar attacks are likely if crowds gather for campaign rallies ahead of parliamentary elections in October.

"... the explosion happened and I found myself surrounded by blood and flesh," Zar Khan, one of the injured, told AFP news agency.

Bombing schools

The deadly suicide attack came hours after multiple bombings targeted schools in Jalalabad.

One blast went off at the entrance of Malika Omaira girls' school in the morning, killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding four other people. It was followed by two explosions in Behsud district, also near two schools.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the suicide attack, as well as the school bombings in Nangarhar.

In a statement, he said that "attacks on civilian facilities, mosques, women, children, are all crimes against humanity".

The Taliban denied any involvement in the attacks and no other group claimed responsibility for the violence.

Nangarhar has been a main stronghold of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) fighters since early 2015.

Attacks continue

A number of attacks across Afghanistan in recent weeks have killed hundreds of civilians and prominent journalists.

Twin bombings at a sports club in the capital Kabul last Wednesday killed at least 20 people and wounded 70 others. Two journalists - a reporter and cameraman - working for local Tolo News were among the dead.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives close to a procession commemorating the death of a former anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban commander, Ahmed Shah Massoud, killing at least seven people and wounding 24.

A ceasefire in June between the Taliban and the government - as well as talks between US officials and Taliban representatives in Qatar in July - raised hopes the 17-year conflict could end with negotiations.

However, the country has since seen a rise in deadly attacks that have targeted civilians.</s>The death toll from a suicide bomb attack at a protest gathering in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on Tuesday has risen to 68, a government official said, adding that 165 people were wounded. The suicide bomber set off explosives in a crowd of hundreds of people protesting on the main road to the border crossing into neighboring Pakistan, Reuters said. They were protesting against a police commander. The provincial governor’s spokesman, Attahullah Khogyani, made a statement with a revised casualty total on Wednesday. Earlier estimates put the death toll at 32. The attack was one of the worst in Afghanistan for months.</s>Afghan official: Death toll in suicide bombing rises to 68

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says the death toll in a suicide bombing among a group of people protesting a local police commander in eastern Afghanistan has risen to 68, up from 32.

Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, says Wednesday that 165 others were wounded in the attack a day earlier.

The bombing happened when a group from the district of Achin came to Momandara district to block the main highway between the capital Jalalabad and the Torkham border with Pakistan.

The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack.

No any other group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.</s>The death toll in a suicide bombing among a group of people protesting a local police commander in eastern Afghanistan has risen to 68

(KABUL, Afghanistan) — The death toll in a suicide bombing among a group of people protesting a local police commander in eastern Afghanistan has risen to 68, up from 32, provincial officials Wednesday.

Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, said 165 others were wounded in the attack a day earlier.

The bombing happened when a group from the district of Achin came to Momandara district to block the main highway between the capital Jalalabad and the Torkham border with Pakistan.

The Taliban denied any involvement. No any other group immediately claimed responsibility, but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.

A local affiliate of the Islamic State group has emerged in recent years and carried out brazen and increasingly deadly attacks, most often targeting civilians and the country’s minority Shiite Muslims, who it views as apostates. The Taliban and the Islamic State affiliate are enemies and have attacked each other’s forces.

Both the Taliban and IS carry out near-daily attacks in Afghanistan targeting security forces and government officials.

Tuesday’s attack was marked by one of the highest death tolls in attacks in Afghanistan this year. In January, a Taliban-claimed suicide bombing in the capital Kabul killed at least 103.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the suicide attack against the demonstrators in Nangarhar. In a statement he said that “attacks on civilian facilities, mosques, women, children, are all crimes against humanity.”</s>The death toll from a suicide bomb attack at a protest gathering in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar on Tuesday has risen to 68, with 165 wounded, a government official said.

The suicide bomber set off explosives in a crowd of hundreds of people protesting on the main road to the border crossing into neighbouring Pakistan. They were protesting against a police commander.

The provincial governor's spokesman, Attahullah Khogyani, issued a statement with a revised casualty total on Wednesday after earlier estimates put the death toll at 32.

The attack was one of the worst in Afghanistan for months but security officials have warned that similar attacks are likely if crowds gather for campaign rallies ahead of parliamentary elections in October.</s>The death toll in a suicide bombing among a group of people protesting a local police commander in eastern Afghanistan has risen to 68, up from 32, provincial officials said yesterday.

Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, said 165 others were wounded in the attack a day earlier.

The bombing happened when a group from the district of Achin came to Momandara district to block the main highway between the capital Jalalabad and the Torkham border with Pakistan.

The Taliban denied any involvement. No other group immediately claimed responsibility, but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.

A local affiliate of the Islamic State group has emerged in recent years and carried out brazen and increasingly deadly attacks, most often targeting civilians and the country’s minority Shiite Muslims, who it views as apostates. The Taliban and the IS affiliate are enemies and have attacked each other’s forces. Both the Taliban and IS carry out near-daily attacks in Afghanistan targeting security forces and government officials.

Tuesday’s attack was marked by one of the highest death tolls in attacks in Afghanistan this year. In January, a Taliban-claimed suicide bombing in the capital Kabul killed at least 103.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the suicide attack against the demonstrators.</s>JALALABAD, Sept 12 — The death toll from a suicide attack on Afghan protesters has soared to 68, officials said today, as violence flares across the country ahead of elections and a key Islamic holy day.

Another 165 were wounded in the blast — one of the deadliest attacks this year — yesterday in the eastern province of Nangarhar, provincial governor spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the massacre, but the Islamic State group, which has carried out most of the recent suicide bombings in Afghanistan, is active in the province.

Scores of demonstrators had blocked the highway between the provincial capital of Jalalabad and a major Pakistan border crossing in protest over the appointment of a local police chief when the suicide bomber blew himself up.

The dead and wounded were rushed to several hospitals in the back of pickup trucks and ambulances, overwhelming doctors and nurses as they struggled to cope with the huge number of casualties.

It was the deadliest attack since an ambulance packed with explosives detonated in a crowded street in the heart of Kabul in January, killing more than 100 people, mostly civilians. That bombing was claimed by the Taliban. — AFP</s>Afghan official: Death toll in suicide bombing rises to 68

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll in a suicide bombing among a group of people protesting a local police commander in eastern Afghanistan has risen to 68, up from 32, provincial officials Wednesday.

Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, said 165 others were wounded in the attack a day earlier.

The bombing happened when a group from the district of Achin came to Momandara district to block the main highway between the capital Jalalabad and the Torkham border with Pakistan.

The Taliban denied any involvement. No other group immediately claimed responsibility, but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.

A local affiliate of the Islamic State group has emerged in recent years and carried out brazen and increasingly deadly attacks, most often targeting civilians and the country's minority Shiite Muslims, who it views as apostates. The Taliban and the Islamic State affiliate are enemies and have attacked each other's forces.

Both the Taliban and IS carry out near-daily attacks in Afghanistan targeting security forces and government officials.

Tuesday's attack was marked by one of the highest death tolls in attacks in Afghanistan this year. In January, a Taliban-claimed suicide bombing in the capital Kabul killed at least 103.

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the suicide attack against the demonstrators in Nangarhar. In a statement, he said "attacks on civilian facilities, mosques, women, children, are all crimes against humanity."

In western Herat province, Taliban insurgents attacked a police checkpoint, killing six police, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, spokesman for the provincial police chief.

Walizada said another officer was wounded in the Tuesday night attack in Pashtun Zargun district. He added that 10 insurgents were killed and six others wounded during a gun battle with a reinforcement unit.

The Taliban have not commented on the attack but Walizada said Taliban are active in the district and often target security checkpoints.</s>KABUL, Afghanistan — Spokesman for provincial governor says number of killed in suicide bombing in eastern Afghanistan rises to 68.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>The toll in the suicide bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province increased to 68 on Wednesday, reported Tolo News. At least 128 people were wounded, said the public health directorate. However, some other reports claimed 165 people were injured.

The number of casualties increased from 19 on Tuesday as many critically injured patients died overnight.

The attacker targeted a protest gathering in Mohmand Dara district. Hundreds of people had gathered to block a highway in protest against the appointment of a local police chief, provincial governor spokesperson Ataullah Khogyani said. No terrorist organisation has so far claimed responsibility.

President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, describing the ongoing “imposed war” as illegitimate. He added that attacks on civilians, their facilities, and members of public is a crime against humanity.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in a statement voiced its concern at the “pattern of attacks targeting civilians and schools”.

“I feel profound indignation at this latest wave of attacks deliberately targeting civilians,” said Tadamichi Yamamoto, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “The bombings of schools and the killing of children are among the most egregious and repulsive acts of terrorism which violate international humanitarian law.”

This was the deadliest attack in the country since a bomb planted in an ambulance in Kabul killed 103 people in January. The Taliban had claimed responsibility.

Nangarhar province, which is on Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, has been among the country’s most volatile regions this year. Its provincial capital Jalalabad has faced several suicide bombings and attacks.
The death toll from yesterday's suicide attack on protesters in eastern Afghanistan rises to 68.