Kabul, July 2 (IANS): At least two civilians were killed and 17 persons were injured on Saturday when a suicide bomber hit the vehicle of a local leader in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, an official said.

"The attacker detonated his explosive jacket near the bomb-proof vehicle of Hajji Hayat Khan who escaped the blast unhurt. The explosion killed two passersby in Jalalabad city," Xinhua news agency quoted an official as saying.

Khan leads militiamen in fighting the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Kot district of the province.

"The injured were shifted to a government-run hospital where two of them remain in critical condition," the official added.

The province has been the scene of heavy clashes between security forces, pro-government militiamen and the IS fighters since the emergence of the IS in early 2015.

The civilians considered to be supporting government, civilian government employees, religious leaders, tribal elders and persons involved in peace and reconciliation efforts have come under attack in targeted killings.