An Afghan security force member inspects the site of an attack in Jalalabad city, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, May 17, 2017. At least four people including three attackers were killed and 16 others injured as militants attacked the state-owned national television station in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar's provincial capital Jalalabad city on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Rahman Safi)
KABUL, May 17 (Xinhua) -- The hardliner Islamic State (IS) group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the state-run television station in Jalalabad city, capital of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province.
The attack on Wednesday left four persons including three attackers dead and 16 others injured.
The extremist group, which emerged in the mountainous area of Nangarhar province more than two years ago, has been fighting the government to strengthen its foothold.
It claimed in its twitter account hours after the attack that 30 security personnel and journalists were killed in the attack conducted Wednesday morning.
The deadly attack took place amid government forces' ongoing operations against IS positions in Achin, Haska Mina and Kot districts of Nangarhar province.
According to security officials, scores of IS insurgents have been killed over the past couple of weeks and 12 militants loyal to the hardliner group gave up fighting and handed over their weapons to local authorities in Jalalabad on Tuesday.
However, officials in Jalalabad have spurned IS claim on killing 30 people, saying that only one employee of the television station had been killed and 16 others including some employees of the TV station sustained injuries.
According to Nangarhar's provincial administration, all the three attackers had been killed in their blasts and security forces firings within three hours.
