A suicide bomber has killed at least 16 people and wounded about 40 others, including a prominent Afghan lawmaker.
The attack took place during an anti-corruption protest outside the residence of the governor of the rebellious Khost province, officials said.
It comes just one week after Washington back-pedalled on its plan to halve its almost 10,000 troops still in Afghanistan by the end of the year.
The Taliban, which has waged a deadly insurgency since being ousted from power in late 2001, warned that the US announcement would damage any prospects of peace talks and vowed to continue fighting.
Acting governor of eastern Khost province, which borders Pakistan, Abduljabar Naeemi said “16 people were martyred and 40 others were wounded”.
“A suicide attack was carried out by the enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan at a rally in the city of Khost,” he said.
Naeemi added that well-known Khost province MP Humayoun Humayoun had been wounded in the explosion.
The interior ministry in Kabul said it “strongly condemns the terrorist attack”.
Taliban denies responsibility for attack
Protesters accusing Mr Naeemi of rampant corruption and land grabbing have staged demonstrations outside his residence for nearly a week.
The Taliban denied responsibility for the blast, said spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid on the group’s official Twitter account.
Suicide bombings have long been a weapon of choice for the militants in their 13-year battle against US-backed foreign forces.
Bombings often target Afghan security forces, but have also taken a heavy toll on civilians.
The UN has reported a jump of 22 per cent in the number of civilians killed and wounded in Afghanistan in 2014 as NATO troops withdraw from combat.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan attributed the rise in deaths to increased ground fighting resulting in more than 10,500 civilian casualties last year.
US president Barack Obama last week reversed plans to withdraw about 5,000 US troops from Afghanistan this year, an overture to the country’s new reform-minded leader, president Ashraf Ghani.
While a large section of Afghan society welcomed the decision, many fear that without continued international military support, Afghanistan — like Iraq — could spiral into chaos.
Meanwhile, Afghan forces are bracing for what is expected to be a bloody summer push by the Taliban.
The Afghan government has also raised the ominous prospect of Islamic State making inroads into Afghanistan.
AFP
