Blast goes off near foreign consulates in Afghan city

A powerful bomb explosion has erupted near foreign consulates in a city in Nangarhar Province in eastern Afghanistan, officials say.

The blast occurred on Tuesday near the Indian, Pakistani, and Iranian consulates in central Jalalabad.

A spokesman for the provincial governor Attaullah Khugyani said there were no reports of casualties from the attack.

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the blast, and the target of the attack is not yet known.

The incident came two days after the Indian consulate in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif came under attack.

It was carried out shortly after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a visit to the Afghan capital, Kabul, and inaugurated the Indian-built parliament building in Afghanistan.

India’s diplomatic missions have been attacked by militants a number of times in the past few years. The Indian consulate in Jalalabad first came under attack in August 2013 in which nine people were killed.

In May 2014, unknown gunmen attacked the Indian Consulate in Herat. The Indian Embassy in Kabul also came under attack in 2008 and 2009 in which dozens were killed.

Afghanistan continues to witness violence after years of a US-led invasion. Although the 2001 attack overthrew the Taliban regime, many areas across Afghanistan still face violence and insecurity.