Suicide blast kills 14 in Afghan city

At least 14 people were killed when a suicide bomber struck the home of a prominent politician in Jalalabad yesterday, officials said, in the second deadly attack in the eastern Afghan city in less than a week.

The Taliban denied responsibility for the bombing, which also left 13 people wounded on the eve of a new round of four-country negotiations aimed at restarting peace talks with the insurgents.

The carnage came during a "jirga", an assembly of tribal leaders, at the home of politician Obaiduallah Shinwari, who escaped unscathed.

"Fourteen people were killed and 13 others injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives in the house of Shinwari," said Najibullah Kamawal, the health director of Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital.

Ambulances rushed to the scene, which was littered with pieces of human flesh, sandals and charred debris.

Shinwari is a well-known member of Nangarhar's provincial council and his family is said to be actively involved in local politics.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack, warning security forces will go after the culprits with "all its strength".

"When terrorists lose the ability to fight face-to-face with our security forces, then they target public places and kill our innocent people," Ghani said in a statement.

"The government will fight those who shed the blood of our innocent people."

The bombing is the latest deadly attack in the city since Wednesday, when Islamic State (IS) jihadists claimed responsibility for a four-hour gun and bomb siege targeting the Pakistani consulate.