Bomb attack on bus kills 14, wounds 37 in east Afghanistan

At least 14 people, including a child, were killed and 37 wounded on Monday when a bomb hit a bus carrying army recruits in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan, witnesses and officials said.

A bomb had been left in a motorcycle that detonated as the bus passed, Nangarhar governor spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said.

It was not immediately clear how many army recruits had been wounded, or if they were being counted as civilians. 

Nasrat Rahimi, the spokesman for the Interior Ministry, confirmed the toll.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Jalalabad is the scene of frequent attacks by the Taliban and Daesh terror group.

Rahim Jan, a car washer who was near the scene of the blast, said the huge explosion knocked him to the ground. 

"While trying to stand up I saw many dead and wounded people on the street," he told AFP news agency from a local hospital. 

"I am wounded in my hands. My brother is also wounded."  

The attack comes on the 18th anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan when US warplanes launched airstrikes in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks.

This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.