Slideshow ( 5 images )

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad killed a senior religious official and his bodyguard on Wednesday and wounded at least 11 people, officials said.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, the militant group’s news agency AMAQ said without providing evidence.

The suicide bomber approached Abdul Zaher Haqqani, Nangarhar provincial director of religious affairs, and detonated his explosive vest, the provincial governor’s spokesman, Ataullah Khogyani, said.

“He was coming off a bridge when the attacker approached him and blew himself up close to his car,” Khogyani added.

Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan, is a volatile province which has become one of the main bases for Islamic State militants who fight both the government and the Taliban.