KABUL: At least 21 people were killed in a fighting after militants attacked a prison in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan holding hundreds of its members.

As many as 43 people were wounded in the attack when an Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber slammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the prison entrance, international media reports said.

Three attackers were killed. The battle continued Monday with sporadic gunfire coming from the prison grounds, according to Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.

Some prisoners, civilians, prison guards and Afghan security personnel died in the attack, he said.

The Islamic State group’s affiliate known as IS in Khorasan province has claimed responsibility for the attack. It is headquartered in Nangarhar province.

The motive of the attack hasn’t been clear.

(With inputs from Agencies)