Jalalabad, April 29:

A suicide blast tore through an anti-drugs meeting of officials and villagers in eastern Afghanistan today, killing 15 people, a witness and a NATO force said.

The insurgent Taliban movement said one of its fighters carried out the suicide bombing in the small town of Khogyani in the eastern province of Nangarhar.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), said its initial information was that 15 Afghans were dead and 14 wounded. It had earlier said 25 Afghans were hurt. Hospital authorities said later they needed time to tally the total number dead and wounded. ISAF said none of its soldiers were harmed.

A man claiming to be a Taliban commander for the region named Qari Sajad told an AFP reporter by telephone that the suicide bombing was carried out by a Taliban militant.

US Marines who deployed in March to reinforce ISAF in the volatile south launched their first major operation yesterday, moving into a Taliban stronghold in the southern province of Helmand with help from British troops based there. The operation was to “enhance security” in the district of Garmser, ISAF said in a statement.