Afghan official says gunmen killed 7 civilians, doctor dead after bomb attack

At least seven Afghan civilians were shot and killed by unknown gunmen overnight in the country's east, a provincial security official said Thursday.

Gen. Juma Gul Hemat, provincial police chief in Nangarhar province said the victims of the brutal attack were workers at a plaster factory in the Sorkh Rod district. Police arrested four suspects, he added.

In a separate attack in Jalalabad, a female doctor was killed in a sticky bomb attack on a rickshaw she was traveling, the provincial governor's office said. The doctor was working for the maternity ward of the provincial hospital and was on her way to work.

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for similar attacks, but many others have gone unclaimed. The government blames most on the Taliban, who deny any role and in turn blame the government.

Meanwhile, in western Herat province, 39 people, both military and civilians, were wounded when security forces launched an operation to arrest a local militia commander, sparking a firefight, the govornor's office said. The wounded, including three children, are being treated.