Wave of attacks kill 22 in afghanistan

Hesamuddin HesamAAP At least 22 people have been killed in multiple attacks across five Afghan provinces, officials say. In the capital Kabul, unknown gunmen assassinated four policemen, a

university lecturer and a government employee in three separate incidents, police spokesman Ferdows Faramarz says. Two of the incidents happened on Saturday while the third took place on

Friday evening. Targeted killings are on the rise in Kabul after a few weeks of relative calm. Security forces, government employees, activists and journalists are often the targets. There

are rarely claims of responsibility for the targeted attacks that have put the Afghan capital on edge. In the country's southeastern Ghazni province, at least four civilians were killed

in a roadside bomb blast, local officials said. Another two civilians were wounded when the bomb hit their vehicle as they drove in the provincial capital, the governor's spokesman

Wahidullah Jumazada said. Local officials blamed Taliban militants for the explosion but no group has publicly claimed responsibility. Roadside bombs are a weapon of choice for the Taliban

to target government security forces but they more often result in civilian casualties. Also, in central Logar province, three soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb blast, a provincial

police spokesman said. In the eastern Nangarhar province, at least two policemen were killed and a civilian was wounded in an explosion in Jalalabad city, an official said. In the

country's northern Takhar province, at least seven pro-government forces were killed in a Taliban dron attack overnight in Bangi district. The new wave of targeted killings and Taliban

bombings have intensified after US President Joe Biden announced the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan by September 11, several months after the May 1 deadline previously agreed

with the Taliban. In response, the militants refused to take part in a peace conference in Turkey that was initially scheduled for mid-April. The insurgent group had warned it would resume

attacks if the May 1 deadline is breached. The Afghan government is also preparing for renewed conflict. GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX. Sign up for our emails