Suicide bomber kills prominent Afghan militia commander

Suicide bomber kills prominent Afghan militia commander
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By Reuters
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JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar killed at least four people, including a prominent local militia commander, considered a leading opponent of Islamic State fighters in the region, officials said on Monday.

The bomber targeted Hayat Khan, a local tribal elder and commander of local militia forces in the Behsood district of Nangarhar, Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman said.

"Haji Hayat Khan was a prominent tribal elder and he was playing a important role in the fight against Daesh," said provincial council member Sohrab Qaderi, using the term often employed for Islamic State in Afghanistan. "He was a strong barrier against Daesh expansion in Nangarhar."

The incident follows a series of attacks on targets in Nangarhar, the province on the border with Pakistan where Islamic State first appeared in Afghanistan in late 2014.

(Reporting by Rafiq Shirzad, Abdul Qadir Sediqi; Editing by Alison Williams)

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