Kabul hit by wave of bombings

US has accused the Taliban of not upholding a pledge to reduce violence in Afghanistan

Afghan security personnel remove the wreck of a vehicle from the site of one of three recent bomb attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan. AP

Three explosions rocked Kabul on Saturday morning, killing at least five people and injuring two more, authorities said, the latest in a series of attacks in the Afghan capital.

Police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said that three "sticky bomb" explosions had taken place in different locations between 8am and 10am local time.

Targeted killings by remotely detonated bombs attached to vehicles have long been a favoured tactic of militants in Afghanistan, especially during the morning commuter period in cities, where civilian deaths and casualties are high.

No group has claimed responsibility for Saturday's attacks, although Afghan and US officials have blamed the Taliban for similar incidents, a charge the group rejected.

Mr Faramarz said the first explosion had injured two civilians, while the second blast killed two soldiers and a woman.

The third bomb left two police officers dead.

The details were confirmed by the Afghan Ministry of Interior.

Security sources said at least two of the victims in the second explosion worked for the defence ministry, although the ministry would not confirm that.

Peace talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan's government that began in September are deadlocked.

The latest 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.

Mr Biden is deciding whether to stick to a looming May 1 deadline to withdraw the remaining 2,500 US troops or risk a backlash from the insurgents by staying.

US Marines keep watch as unseen Afghan National Army soldiers participate in an IED (improvised explosive device) training exercise at the Shorab Military Camp in 2017. AFP

US troops patrol at an Afghan army Base in Logar province on August 7, 2018. Reuters

US soldiers patrol a street in central Kabul December 11, 2004. Reuters

US troops under Afghanistan's International Security Assistance Force, and Afghan National Army soldiers conduct a joint security patrol in the centre of Kandalay village. AFP

US troops patrol at an Afghan National Army (ANA) base in Logar province, Afghanistan in 2018. Reuters

US Army soldiers patrol in the village of Chariagen in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province southern Afghanistan in 2011. Reuters

Afghan residents chat with US. Army Lieutenant Steven Gibbs as he patrols with his platoon in Pul-e Alam, a town in Logar province, eastern Afghanistan in 2011. Reuters

US soldiers gather during an exercise at the Kandahar airbase in Afghanistan in 2005. Reuters

U.S. Army soldiers with 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division stand near their armored vehicles before they start their journey home at Contingency Operating Site Kalsu, south of Baghdad, Iraq. AP

A handout photo made available by the US Marine Corps shows US Marines inside the perimeter of Al Asad Air Base in Iraq. EPA

A US soldier is seen during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from US-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad, Iraq August 23, 2020. Reuters

US soldiers have been in Iraq for nearly two decades. AFP

US soldiers are seen during a handover ceremony of Taji military base from US-led coalition troops to Iraqi security forces, in the base north of Baghdad, Iraq on August 23, 2020. Reuters

Gen Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Army Central Command, on Thursday indicated that conditions have not been met for a withdrawal.

While the Taliban had pledged to reduce violence under their deal with the US, they have not done so, Gen McKenzie said during a flight to Pakistan.

"Certainly, ISIS has launched some attacks. It pales against what the Taliban is doing," Gen McKenzie said, denouncing violence against Afghan forces, and "targeted assassinations in some of the urban areas".

"This is clearly the Taliban," he said. "There is no way it's anyone else. That's very clear."

The Taliban denies being behind escalated violence, saying those responsible are other insurgent groups.