The eastern Afghanistan province of Nangarhar witnessed multiple attacks in Jalalabad city on Wednesday resulting in death of five persons.
Multiple attacks kill at least 5 in Jalalabad. In one attack, gunmen opened fire on a Taliban vehicle at a local gas station in the provincial capital of Jalalabad, killing two fighters and a gas station attendant. A child was also killed, they added.
Another child was killed and two Taliban were wounded in a separate attack — a bombing of another vehicle. Another bombing of a Taliban vehicle in Jalalabad also wounded a person nearby. Although it was unclear if that person was a Taliban official or not.
No one claimed immediate responsibility for Wednesday’s attacks. Although the Islamic State group, which is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan, took responsibility for similar attacks in Jalalabad last week that killed eight.
The Taliban and IS are enemies, and the attacks have raised the specter of wider conflict between the country’s new Taliban rulers and their long-time rivals.
Afghanistan: The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution
The Taliban are under pressure to contain IS militants. In part to make good on a promise to the international community that they will prevent the staging of terror attacks from Afghan soil.
There is also a widely held expectation among conflict-weary Afghans that — despite fears and misgivings about the Taliban. The new rulers will at least restore a measure of public safety.
Four explosions in different parts of the city took the lives of two people and injured three others.
Those wounded have been transferred to the hospital in the provincial center.
In the meantime, gunmen attack in an area near base of border forces of former government resulted in three people being killed.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the explosions or attack by gunmen.
Earlier this week, however, Daesh claimed responsibility for previous explosions in Nangarhar.
The ISIS had also claimed responsibility for the explosions outside Kabul airport in August.
The attacks follow repeated statements by Zabihullah Mujahid, deputy minister for the Ministry of Information and Culture. That ISIS movements in Afghanistan are not a threat to the Taliban.