Islamic State beheaded 15 of its own fighters due to infighting in Afghanistan&#39;s eastern province of Nangarhar, officials said, while a separate suicide attack on Thursday tore into a crowd in the provincial capital, Jalalabad, killing at least eight.

The two incidents underline the insecurity and lawlessness across Afghanistan, where thousands of civilians have been killed or wounded this year, amid unrelenting violence involving militant groups including Islamic State and the Taliban.

In a bloody day for the province, a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing at least eight people at a meeting of supporters of a police commander who was sacked for illegal land grabbing.

There was no claim of responsibility and no immediate indication of who was behind the attack on the crowd in Jalalabad, which had gathered to demand the reinstatement of the commander, who survived the attack.

A spokesman for the Jalalabad hospital confirmed eight people had been killed and 15 wounded.

Nangarhar, on the porous border with Pakistan, has become a stronghold for Islamic State, generally known as Daesh in Afghanistan, which has grown to become one of the country&#39;s most dangerous militant groups since it appeared around the start of 2015.

Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor&#39;s spokesman, said the 15 Islamic State fighters were executed after a bout of infighting in the group, which has become notorious for its brutality. The killings occurred in the Surkh Ab bazaar of Achin district.

Further details were not available and there was no confirmation from Islamic State, whose local branch is known as Islamic State in Khorasan, an old name for the area that includes modern Afghanistan.

The Taliban and Islamic State have frequently fought each other in Nangarhar and both have been targeted by sustained US&nbsp;air strikes.

But the exact nature of the relationship between the two groups is little understood. There have been isolated incidents in Afghanistan in which the fighters of both appear to have cooperated.

Afghan intelligence documents reviewed by Reuters this year showed security officials believe Islamic State is present in nine provinces, from Nangarhar and Kunar in the east to Jawzjan, Faryab and Badakhshan in the north and Ghor in the central west.

The fighters were beheaded because of infighting

Islamic State beheaded 15 of its own fighters due to infighting in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, officials said, while a separate suicide attack on Thursday tore into a crowd in the provincial capital, Jalalabad, killing at least eight. The two incidents underline the insecurity and lawlessness across Afghanistan, where thousands of civilians have been killed or wounded this year, amid unrelenting violence involving militant groups including Islamic State and the Taliban. In a bloody day for the province, a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing at least eight people at a meeting of supporters of a police commander who was sacked for illegal land grabbing. There was no claim of responsibility and no immediate indication of who was behind the attack on the crowd in Jalalabad, which had gathered to demand the reinstatement of the commander, who survived the attack. A spokesman for the Jalalabad hospital confirmed eight people had been killed and 15 wounded. Nangarhar, on the porous border with Pakistan, has become a stronghold for Islamic State, generally known as Daesh in Afghanistan, which has grown to become one of the country's most dangerous militant groups since it appeared around the start of 2015. Attaullah Khogyani, the provincial governor's spokesman, said the 15 Islamic State fighters were executed after a bout of infighting in the group, which has become notorious for its brutality. The killings occurred in the Surkh Ab bazaar of Achin district. Further details were not available and there was no confirmation from Islamic State, whose local branch is known as Islamic State in Khorasan, an old name for the area that includes modern Afghanistan. The Taliban and Islamic State have frequently fought each other in Nangarhar and both have been targeted by sustained US air strikes. But the exact nature of the relationship between the two groups is little understood. There have been isolated incidents in Afghanistan in which the fighters of both appear to have cooperated. Afghan intelligence documents reviewed by Reuters this year showed security officials believe Islamic State is present in nine provinces, from Nangarhar and Kunar in the east to Jawzjan, Faryab and Badakhshan in the north and Ghor in the central west.

Islamic State beheads 15 of its own fighters: Afghan officials

Militant group Islamic State has&nbsp;claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a television station in Afghanistan&#39;s eastern province of Nangarhar that killed a security guard as well as all three attackers and wounded at least 17 people.

Three gunmen attacked a building of Afghan state television in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces, the provincial governor&#39;s spokesman said.

A security guard was&nbsp;killed as well as the three gunmen, authorities said.

The suicide attack wounded at least 17 civilians, Reuters reported. Nine of them have been released by the hospital after treatment.

&quot;Islamic State fighters are currently carrying out an attack inside the state broadcasting building in the city of Jalalabad,&quot; the movement&#39;s AMAQ news agency said in a statement on instant messaging service Telegram.

The Taliban, which also has a strong presence in the region, denied responsibility.&nbsp;Two of the three blew themselves up 30 metres outside the building.&nbsp;

The third militant engaged in a fierce gunbattle with the country&#39;s security forces before he was killed.

The attack comes a day after the Afghan regular army managed to defeat Taliban forces in the Qala-i-Zal district, close to the northern city of Kunduz. &nbsp;

Heavy gunfire could be heard from around the building of RTA,&nbsp;Afghanistan&#39;s national broadcaster, located close to the provincial governor&#39;s compound. Local sources told WION that as many as 40 people could be inside the building.

Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar, the eastern province on the border with Pakistan where Islamic State fighters have established a stronghold, but there is also a strong Taliban presence in the region.

Insurgents fighting to oust the Western-backed government in Kabul have conducted a series of high-profile attacks this year on targets including&nbsp;Afghanistan&#39;s largest military hospital and a military base in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Deadly country for media&nbsp;

The Pentagon has reportedly asked the White House to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan to break the deadlocked fight against the Taliban.

US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 today, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies, who also mainly serve in an advisory capacity -- a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago.

Wednesday&#39;s attack marks the latest militant assault on an Afghan media organisation.

Afghanistan suffered its deadliest year on record for journalists in 2016, according to the Afghan Journalists&#39; Safety Committee (AJSC), adding that the country is the second most dangerous for reporters in the world after Syria.

As least 13 journalists were killed last year, AJSC said, claiming that the Taliban was behind at least ten of the deaths.

In January last year, seven employees of popular TV channel Tolo, which is often critical of the insurgents, were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul in what the militant group said was revenge for &quot;spreading propaganda&quot; against them.

It was the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 and spotlighted the dangers faced by journalists as the security situation worsens.

Dan Coats, the head of US intelligence agencies, warned last week that the security situation &quot;will also almost certainly deteriorate through 2018, even with a modest increase in the military assistance by the US&quot;.

US-led forces have been fighting in Afghanistan for almost 16 years, making it America&#39;s longest war.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

There appeared to have been at least three attackers, two of whom had blown themselves up while at least one was still fighting

Militant group Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a television station in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar that killed a security guard as well as all three attackers and wounded at least 17 people. Three gunmen attacked a building of Afghan state television in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces, the provincial governor's spokesman said. A security guard was killed as well as the three gunmen, authorities said. The suicide attack wounded at least 17 civilians, Reuters reported. Nine of them have been released by the hospital after treatment. "Islamic State fighters are currently carrying out an attack inside the state broadcasting building in the city of Jalalabad," the movement's AMAQ news agency said in a statement on instant messaging service Telegram. The Taliban, which also has a strong presence in the region, denied responsibility. Two of the three blew themselves up 30 metres outside the building. The third militant engaged in a fierce gunbattle with the country's security forces before he was killed. The attack comes a day after the Afghan regular army managed to defeat Taliban forces in the Qala-i-Zal district, close to the northern city of Kunduz. Heavy gunfire could be heard from around the building of RTA, Afghanistan's national broadcaster, located close to the provincial governor's compound. Local sources told WION that as many as 40 people could be inside the building. Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar, the eastern province on the border with Pakistan where Islamic State fighters have established a stronghold, but there is also a strong Taliban presence in the region. Insurgents fighting to oust the Western-backed government in Kabul have conducted a series of high-profile attacks this year on targets including Afghanistan's largest military hospital and a military base in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Deadly country for media The Pentagon has reportedly asked the White House to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan to break the deadlocked fight against the Taliban. US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 today, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies, who also mainly serve in an advisory capacity -- a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago. Wednesday's attack marks the latest militant assault on an Afghan media organisation. Afghanistan suffered its deadliest year on record for journalists in 2016, according to the Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee (AJSC), adding that the country is the second most dangerous for reporters in the world after Syria. As least 13 journalists were killed last year, AJSC said, claiming that the Taliban was behind at least ten of the deaths. In January last year, seven employees of popular TV channel Tolo, which is often critical of the insurgents, were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul in what the militant group said was revenge for "spreading propaganda" against them. It was the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 and spotlighted the dangers faced by journalists as the security situation worsens. Dan Coats, the head of US intelligence agencies, warned last week that the security situation "will also almost certainly deteriorate through 2018, even with a modest increase in the military assistance by the US". US-led forces have been fighting in Afghanistan for almost 16 years, making it America's longest war. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Afghanistan: Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on TV station

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