Four dead in new Kabul bus blast

KABUL: At least four people were killed and four others injured Thursday when a minibus was hit by an explosion in Kabul, according to police, in the latest attack on commuters in the Afghan capital.

The blast was the third time a bus has been targeted in the past two days in the city, with fears rising that further unrest lies ahead as Washington withdraws its remaining troops in the coming months.

Police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said the explosion happened on a road in southwestern Kabul near a neighbourhood largely populated by the Shia Hazara community, who have been the frequent target of militant attacks.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier this week, the Islamic State group's Afghan affiliate claimed back-to-back attacks on two buses in Kabul that killed at least 10 people.

Violence has soared in recent weeks as government forces and the Taliban clash in near-daily battles across the rugged countryside, with the militants appearing to focus on battering checkpoints and bases near Kabul.

The surge in violence comes as the US military continues to withdraw its remaining 2,500 troops from Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden has ordered the military to complete the pullout by the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

But as the Americans pack up, experts fear Afghanistan will remain home to a number of jihadist groups.

In a report published by the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, the body warned that IS continues "to pose a threat to both the country and the wider region", saying the group had approximately 2,000 fighters inside Afghanistan.