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Suicide bomber kills nine people in eastern Afghanistan - officials


    JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed nine people in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Sunday at the home of a tribal elder when people had gathered to celebrate his son's release from Taliban captivity, local officials said.The son was killed and at least 12 people, including his father, were wounded in the attack, according to Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the provincial governor.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility.There have been several bomb blasts in Afghanistan over recent weeks at a time when efforts are underway to restart a peace process with the Taliban.Islamic State in the same city last week claimed their first attack on a major urban centre in Afghanistan with an assault on the Pakistani consulate that killed seven people.

    (Reporting by Rafiq Shirzad in Jalalabad; Writing by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Ed Davies)