Save the Children office in Afghanistan hit by attack, 11 hurt

Attackers have detonated explosives before storming the offices of the Save the Children charity in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad.

At least 11 people are reported injured so far.

A suspected suicide car bomb blast began the assault, with the gunmen now said to be using machine guns and RPGs from higher floors in the building.

Jalalabad, near the border with Pakistan, is often targeted by Taliban militants but it is also a stronghold for the Islamic State group, whose fighters have been active there since 2015.

The latest attack comes days after Taliban gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Kabul killing at least 22 people, mostly foreigners.

At about 09:10 local time (04:40 GMT) on Wednesday, a suicide attacker detonated a car bomb at the entrance to the Save the Children compound, Ataullah Khogyani, a provincial government said.

An eyewitness who was inside the compound at the time told AFP news agency that he saw a gunman hitting the main gate with a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG).

Local journalist Bilal Sarwary said police had told him Afghan commandos were at the scene and that the attackers were on the upper floors of the building, using heavy machine guns, grenades and RPGs.

He says initial reports suggest there are two or three attackers.

Save the Children carries out education, healthcare and protection work for Children in Afghanistan.

Source: bbc