Afghan forces battle gunmen after suicide blast killing 2

Afghan security forces exchanged fire with gunmen barricaded in a house near the Pakistan consulate in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Wednesday after a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing two people and wounding two, officials said.

Witnesses said a series of explosions could be heard and residents and children from a nearby school had been evacuated.

The latest in a series of suicide attacks in Afghanistan comes amid renewed efforts to restart peace talks with the Taliban and ease diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan.