Story highlights
An Afghan lawmaker is among 64 people wounded in the attack, police say
Taliban spokesman denies his group was responsible for the attack
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives near a group of protesters in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing 17 people and wounding dozens more, police said.
An Afghan lawmaker taking part in the protests in the city of Khost was among the 64 people wounded, said Faizullah Ghairat, the provincial police chief.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid denied his group was responsible for the attack. No other organization has so far claimed responsibility.
Humayoon Humayoon, an Afghan member of parliament for Khost province, and the other protesters were on their way to join a larger rally against the provincial governor, according to Zahir Jan, an eyewitness.
The suicide attack hit the group around 10 a.m. local time, police said.
CNN’s Masoud Popalzai reported from Kabul, and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong. CNN’s Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this report.