Roundup: Suicide bombing in E. Afghanistan widely condemned

Afghans from all walks of life strongly condemned the deadly suicide bombing that hit the eastern Jalalabad city and claimed 13 lives including the bomber on Sunday.

The blast happened in the premises of the house of a pro-government tribal chieftain in Nangarhar's provincial capital Jalalabad city, 120 km east of Kabul, at 10:40 a.m. local time, leaving 13 people dead, an official said.

"A terrorist tied explosive device in his body after entering the compound of the guesthouse of pro-government tribal elder Malik Usman Shinwari, blew himself up, killing himself and 12 others on the spot," a security official told Xinhua, but declined to be identified.

He said 13 more people sustained injuries in the bloody bombing.

Ataullah Khyogani, spokesman for the Nangarhar provincial government, speaking with Xinhua, confirmed the deadly attack, saying investigation has been initiated into the case.

In a sharp reaction, President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, in a statement released here by his office, condemned the deadly suicide attack in its strongest term, saying the terrorists after losing ability to confront security forces have resorted to attacking soft targets and killing innocent civilians.

Besides expressing sympathy with the families of the victims, the Afghan president said the country's national security forces would continue to target the enemies elsewhere in the country.

The government's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah has also denounced the deadly suicide attack in its strongest term.

In his message, Abdullah put the attack on the enemies of peace in Afghanistan and issued directive to security organs to identify and bring to justice all those behind the bloody attack, a statement released here by his office said.

"Attack on civilians is a crime against humanity and I strongly condemn it," a passerby, Habibullah, told Xinhua in Jalalabad.

"This is a barbaric act and a coward terrorist act to target and kill innocent people. Killing innocent people is against Islamic teaching and Islamic values," a street vendor Khan Mohammad told Xinhua here in Kabul.

No group has claimed of responsibility for the deadly suicide bombing.

This is the second deadly bombing in Jalalabad over the past five days.

In the previous attack against Pakistani consulate almost in the same locality in Jalalabad on Wednesday, for which terror group Islamic State claimed of responsibility, 10 people including three attackers were killed and nearly a dozen other injured. Enditem