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Red Cross office 'attacked'

May 29, 2013

Militants have carried out a suicide bombing and gun attack at the Red Cross office in the Nangarhar provincial capital of Jalalabad. At least one guard was killed, Afghanistan officials have said.

https://p.dw.com/p/18gTw
Afghan security forces arrive at the site of an explosion in Jalalabad (Photo: REUTERS/ Parwiz)
Image: Reuters

"A suicide attacker first detonated himself at the gate of the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) compound," Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the interior ministry, told the AFP news agency Wednesday.

"Attackers infiltrated the office. Seven [ICRC] foreigners were evacuated, one hurt in the leg," Sediqqi said, adding that the bodies of two attackers had been found.

The ICRC confirmed "an incident" had taken place but provided no further details.

Afghan officials confirmed to media that a guard was reportedly killed when one of the attackers detonated a suicide vest at the facility's front gate.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

Earlier in the day, Afghan security forces killed six militants who attacked the provincial governor's office in Panjshir.

Jalalabad lies along a key root from Pakistan's border regions, where many militants are based, to the Afghanistan capital Kabul. The city has seen several attacks in recent years, including when seven suicide bombers attacked a police base in March, killing five officers.

dr/rc (AFP, Reuters, AP)