Six civilians killed in bombing attack in east Afghanistan

At least six people have lost their lives and several others sustained injuries in a bombing attack in eastern Afghanistan.

The causalities occurred on Monday, when a bomber detonated his explosives in a gathering of tribal elders in the Afghan city of Jalalabad in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

"Six civilians were killed and six others were wounded in the suicide attack on a gathering of elders in Jalalabad," said Attaullah Khogyani, the spokesman for the provincial governor.

At the time of explosion, the tribal elders were discussing security issues and trying to resolve their internal disputes to form a front against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, according to the spokesman.

A police spokesman also confirmed the death toll, adding that the injured had been taken to hospital and that some of them were in critical conditions.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the deadly attack yet, but such incidents are mostly blamed on Taliban militants.

On Sunday, a mortar attack by suspected militants also claimed the lives of at least seven civilians in northern Afghanistan.

Afghan forces have been engaged in fierce clashes with Taliban to contain the ongoing insurgency across various parts of the violence-wrecked country.

Taliban militants were removed from power following the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan, but they have stepped up their activities in recent months, attempting to overrun several provinces.

In the meantime, there are rising concerns that Daesh, which is mainly active in Iraq and Syria, is now seeking to gain a foothold in Afghanistan’s troubled east.

Daesh has reportedly managed to take recruits from Taliban defectors in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, which borders Pakistan. Reports say the Takfiri terrorist group has recruited some 2,500 members in Afghanistan.

In August, Daesh claimed responsibility for a bombing during a demonstration held by the Shia Hazara community in the Afghan capital, Kabul, where at least 80 people were killed.

The surge in terrorist activities across Afghanistan comes despite the presence of forces from US and other NATO members there.