Roadside bomb kills 5 police in east Nangarhar province: Afghan official

An Afghan security officer arrives at an area near a house where attackers are hiding, in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul/File)

An Afghan official says a roadside bomb has killed five border police and wounded four others in eastern Nangarhar province. A vehicle carrying the officers struck the mine in Achin District on Thursday, police officer Qais Saifi told The Associated Press on Friday.

No one immediately took responsibility but Saifi blamed the Islamic State group, saying they regularly plant roadside bombs to target Afghan officials and security forces. IS has a strong presence in Nangarhar, where Afghan and US support troops have targeted their outposts

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, a van hit a roadside mine in northeaster Kunar province, killing three people and wounding 16 others Wednesday, said Abdul Ghani Musamim, spokesman for the provincial governor. Afghanistan is one of the world’s heaviest mined countries.