Afghan suicide bomber kills 9, wounds 40

A suicide bombing in Afghanistan's eastern Logar province late on Thursday killed at least nine people and wounded at least 40, authorities said.

The attack struck in the provincial capital of Pul-e-Alam and targeted a police checkpoint.

Speaking on Friday, one man described hearing "a very powerful explosion" before rushing to the scene and witnessing the aftermath.

Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian initially said most of the victims were civilians but later, he said six of the dead were policemen and three were civilians. Many of the wounded however were civilians, he added.

Provincial police spokesman Shahpoor Ahmadzai said the civilian casualties were mainly in cars that had stopped at the checkpoint for a security check.

There were conflicting reports about the casualty figures, with a provincial council chief saying he had reports of as many as 15 deaths.

There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy.

At the hospital where the victims were brought to, witnesses reported seeing several children who had been hurt in the bombing. The witnesses asked their names not be used because of fears of retaliation.

The Taliban promptly denied responsibility for the attack, which came on the eve of the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and a three-day cease-fire that has been declared for the occasion by the Taliban.

The Islamic State group's affiliate for Afghanistan also operates in the region but did not immediately claim responsibility for the bombing. The militant group has stepped up its attacks lately.

The US blamed IS for a brutal attack in May on a maternity hospital in the Afghan capital, Kabul, that killed 24 people, including newborn infants.