12 dead as large explosion rocks Jalalabad

A large explosion today near the Afghan city of Jalalabad killed 12 people and injured 85 others, a local military commander said.

Hazrat Ali said the huge blast also damaged surrounding homes as far as 500 yards away. He said he believed it was caused by a car bomb.

"The number of dead will probably rise because of people dying in the hospital," he told The Associated Press.

The Afghan Islamic Press news agency said more than 20 people died and many more were wounded.

The blast went off near the offices of the Afghan Construction and Logistics Unit, about six miles west of the eastern city.

The unit was involved in building roads and there was also speculation the blast was caused by explosives stored at the building for use in road construction.

The explosion came after several incidents in recent weeks _ including the assassination of a vice president, and the discovery of an alleged would-be car bomber in the capital Kabul _ and put Afghan security forces on alert against possible terror attacks by resurgent Taliban or al-Qaida forces.