2nd LD Writethru: Suicide attacker killed as car bomb rocks eastern Afghan province

A suicide car bombing rocked near an Afghan security forces' base in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Monday, killing the attacker, local authorities said.

"One suicide bomber was killed when his explosive-laden vehicle was detonated in Marko Bazaar locality, Ghani Khel district at around 8:30 a.m. (0400 GMT) Monday," the provincial government said in a statement.

The attacker tried to target a base where dozens of troops and Counter-Narcotics forces were stationed but no member of security force was hurt by the explosion, the statement added.

"The attacker tried to assault the base but he become the victim of the vicious plan as his vehicle exploded before reaching near the security forces' base," the statement said, adding a vehicle parked near the site was also destroyed by the blast.

A government-led drug eradication campaign was underway to destroy poppy fields in the area.

Much of the world's opium poppy is cultivated in the militancy-hit country. In 2016, some 4,800 tons of opium was produced in Afghanistan particularly in western and southern parts of the country, where the government security forces have little presence, according to official figures.

The restive Nangarhar province with Jalalabad city as its capital, 120 km east of national capital Kabul, has been the scene of heavy clashes between security forces, Taliban militants and Islamic State (IS) fighters over the past years.

On Saturday, several IS militants and one U.S. Special Forces' service member were killed during a military operation in the restive province. Enditem