A suicide bomb attack targeted a construction company near the Jalalabad Airport in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday morning, starting a deadly gunbattle that lasted several hours and saw US troops called in to participate.
All told, at least 17 people were confirmed killed, including 16 civilians and a member of Afghan military intelligence. Five solid hours of fighting has yet to reveal if any combatants were killed, though nine other civilians were said to have been wounded.
Also unclear is who the militants in this case actually were. Though the Taliban is clearly launching a growing number of attacks, it is ISIS that is the primary force in the Nangarhar Province, where this took place.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, which is also unusual, as all indications are that the target was hit hard, and usually there would be no shortage of groups who would want credit.
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