Islamic State may have carried out deadly bombing in Afghanistan, says President Ghani

The Islamic State (IS) group claimed to have carried out a deadly suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan today that killed at least 33 people and injured more than 100, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said, in what, if verified, would be the first major attack claimed by the group in the country.

"Who claimed responsibility for horrific attack in Nangarhar today? The Taliban did not claim responsibility for the attack, Daesh (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack," President Ghani said on a visit to Badakhshan.

A person purporting to be an IS spokesman claimed responsibility for the attack in a call to AFP and in an online posting, although the claims could not be immediately verified.