At Least 33 Killed, 50 Injured In Blasts In Afghan City Of Jalalabad

Update as of 6:30 a.m. EDT: Militants from the Islamic State group's Afghan branch have claimed responsibility for the twin blasts in Jalalabad that killed at least 33 people. If the claims are verified, this would be the first such attack by the militant group in Afghanistan, according to the Washington Post.

Meanwhile, both the United Nations and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly and heinous terrorist act.”

“The continuing use of suicide attacks in densely populated areas, that are certain to kill and maim large numbers of Afghan civilians, may amount to a war crime,” Nicholas Haysom, the U.N. secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan, reportedly said.

Original story below

At least 33 people were killed and over 50 were wounded in twin blasts in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Saturday, according to local media reports. The death toll is likely to rise as dozens of people are believed to be critically injured and have been taken to nearby hospitals.

The first blast, allegedly caused by a suicide bomber, happened outside a bank, Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, the chief of police for Nangahar province, said.

"It was a suicide attack," Sherzad reportedly said, adding that police have not yet determined if the attacker had worn the explosives or placed them in a car. "It is early to say what kind of suicide bomber."

The second blast was reported outside a shrine in Jalalabad.

Although the Taliban has denied involvement in the latest attack, the restive region has been frequently targeted by militants belonging to the group.

According to the recent United Nations report, civilian casualties in Afghanistan have risen dramatically over the last year. Intensification of ground battles between the military and the Taliban led to more civilians being exposed to violence, and, as a result, nearly 3,700 civilians were killed in the country in 2014 -- the highest in any year since 2009.