Afghanistan official: Death toll in suicide bombing rises to 68

An Afghan official says the death toll in a suicide bombing among a group of people protesting a local police commander in eastern Afghanistan has risen to 68, up from 32.

Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor, says Wednesday that 165 others were wounded in the attack a day earlier. The bombing happened when a group from the district of Achin came to Momandara district to block the main highway between the capital Jalalabad and the Torkham border with Pakistan.

The Taliban denied any involvement in the attack. No any other group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but both Taliban insurgents and the Islamic State group are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.