Afghan suicide 
bomber 
kills 33

Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, spokesman for the provincial governor in Nangarhar province, said that 105 people were also wounded in the attack.

“There are reports of many wounded people in critical condition at the hospital,” Mr Abdulzai said.

The attacker detonated an explosive-laden motorcycle, targeting a crowd of both military personnel and civilians who were gathered outside the bank to receive their monthly salaries. The bank branch is located in the heart of a crowded commercial district, full of banks and government offices.

The force of the blast shattered windows miles away and damaged several businesses and cars in the vicinity. Security forces blocked off the area to allow ambulances and rescue crews to care for the wounded.

“More than 100 wounded and around 33 dead bodies have been brought to the hospital,” said Dr Hamayon Zaheer, head of Jalalabad hospital.

Shir Aqha, an Afghan army soldier who was wounded in the attack, said: “A motorcycle came in and I think a man in a suit entered inside the crowd and detonated his explosive. I hear two sounds of explosions and I can’t remember after that,” he said.

Another blast was reported near a shrine in Jalalabad, but no one was hurt. Meanwhile another bombing in the Behsud district of Nangarhar province killed one civilian and wounded two others. It appears a magnetic bomb was attached to a parked car and then detonated by remote control.