A truck bomb targeting the outer perimeter of police headquarters in eastern Afghanistan early on 7 December wounded at least 12 people, including seven police officers, hospital officials said. The governor of Nangarhar province, Saleem Khan Kunduzi, said the explosion was very powerful, damaging a number of nearby buildings.

"A powerful explosion struck Surkhrod district today and I myself went there and inspected the site of attack," he said. "It was early morning so no one was on the road and in the shops, but as a result of the explosion some shops, religious schools, police headquarters and nearby houses have been destroyed."

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Taliban insurgents who are fighting to topple the foreign-backed Kabul government frequently carry out suicide and roadside bombings across the country. The Taliban has grown more powerful and made gains outside its southern and eastern heartlands and into northern areas since the bulk of Nato troops withdrew at the end of 2014.

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