18 killed in terrorist attack in eastern Afghan town

Eighteen people, including three assailants, were killed and 15 others wounded in a terrorist attack against a government office building in Jalalabad, an eastern town in Afghanistan on Tuesday, the provincial government said.

The attack started after one terrorist detonated a car bomb near the gate of provincial department of refugees and repatriation at around midday in Police District 3 of the city, the government said in a statement.

A meeting was underway at the building before the attack.

"One terrorist was killed by his car bomb blast and two others who made their way inside the building were shot dead by Afghan Special Operations Forces during a counter-attack which ended Tuesday evening," the statement read.

Those among the killed were a police officer and a woman, and nine injured were discharged from a provincial hospital after receiving treatment.

The director of the department together with other officials were rescued and shifted to a safe place.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.

The city, which is the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, has been hit by series of terror attacks over the past couple of years.

On Saturday, two security guards and a driver were killed and eight people wounded after militants of Islamic State (IS) group attacked a midwifery training center in Jalalabad.