KABUL: In separate attacks across Afghanistan on Monday, at least four people were killed, officials said, creating more questions about the fate of peace talks that have been postponed until at least next month.
There was nobody taking responsibility for the attacks. An member of a local extremist Islamic State (IS) organisation opposed to the peace process has continued to attack civilians and Afghan security forces on a daily basis. The IS militants have also fought with the broader and more well-established Taliban.
The Taliban have abandoned their attacks against US and foreign forces, but continue to threaten Afghan security forces even as the insurgents have held talks with the US-backed government this year.
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According to Mohibullah Mohib, a spokesperson for the regional police chief, the Taliban assaulted a police district headquarters in western Farah province early on Monday, killing one policeman and injuring three others.
He said the attack started when police shot a suicide bomber. However, his car detonated, and then the gunmen opened fire. He said there were at least four insurgents killed and eight others injured.
According to Ahmad Khan Serat, a spokesperson for the provincial police chief, two employees of the provincial revenue agency were shot and killed in the eastern Ghazni province.
A roadside bomb killed a member of the security forces in eastern Khost province and injured two other civilians, including a member of the provincial council, according to Kafel Rayan, the president of the provincial council.
At least six people were injured in two blasts on Monday in the capital, Kabul, according to the Kabul police. One targeted National Statistics Authority workers who were in the Guzargah neighbourhood on a mini-bus. At least six people were injured by the explosion, said Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. The bomb was put on a bicycle, he added.
Earlier, in the Kolola Pushta area of the district, a sticky bomb blew up a vehicle belonging to security forces, Faramarz said, but caused no casualties. He said inquiries had started into both assaults.
In a separate development, three Afghan senators have been detained in the northern Balkh province on bribery charges, said Jamshid Rasooli, the Attorney General’s spokesman.
In a statement issued on Monday, he said that the three people who were detained the day before were accused of taking $40,000 in bribes. Afghanistan has regularly ranked among the world’s most corrupt nations.
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