Two killed as multiple bombs rock Afghan capital

KABUL: At least two people, including a local police chief, were killed after multiple bomb blasts rocked the Afghan capital early Wednesday, officials said.

The latest violence in Kabul follows a pattern of attacks during morning rush-hour traffic targeting prominent Afghans including politicians, journalists, activists and judges.

Police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz told reporters that two people were killed and another wounded in their vehicle by a bomb in downtown Kabul.

Interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told AFP that one of those killed was a district police chief in the capital.

An AFP photograph at the scene said the bomb had ripped through the rear of what was appeared to be an armoured vehicle.

Minutes earlier, another blast targeting a vehicle in the same district wounded four people, Faramarz added.

A third blast targeted a police vehicle in Paghman district on the outskirts of Kabul.

Authorities did not say if the blasts were caused by so-called "sticky bombs" attached to the vehicles, or roadside improvised explosive devices.

Wednesday's blasts come a day after militants shot dead four government employees in an ambush in the capital.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Afghan and US officials have blamed the Taliban for the wave of violence, but the group has denied the charges.

The surge in violence comes as peace talks that started in September between the Taliban and Afghan government have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough.

Government negotiators are pushing for a permanent ceasefire, but the insurgents have so far dismissed calls for a truce.

The rise in violence has led US President Joe Biden's administration to launch a review of a deal signed between Washington and Taliban last year that paved the way for the withdrawal of all American troops in coming months.