![Policemen stand guard at the site of a bomb blast in Kabul on February 2. Two people were killed as the Afghan capital was rocked by a series of rush-hour car bombs, officials said, while a police vehicle was targeted in an attack north of Kabul. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]](/cnmi_st/images/2021/02/09/28346-af-kabul-blast-739_416.webp)
KABUL -- Militants shot dead four government employees in central Kabul Tuesday (February 9), police said, in the latest rush-hour violence to rock the capital as Afghanistan's spy agency said it had busted a "terrorist cell" involved in targeted killings.
Kabul has seen near-daily attacks during the busy morning commute, targeting prominent Afghans including politicians, journalists, activists, judges and religious scholars.
Kabul police spokesman Ferdows Faramarz told reporters that gunmen opened fire on a vehicle carrying staff from the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, killing four of them.
A separate attack saw the driver of a vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs killed in a bombing in Kabul, police and the ministry said.
Tuesday's attacks came a day after three bomb blasts rattled the capital, killing at least one person.
Afghan and US officials have blamed the Taliban for the wave of violence, although the group has rejected the charges.
Terror cell busted
Later on Tuesday, Afghanistan's spy agency said its forces had busted a six-member joint "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS)-Haqqani network cell in Kabul.
"The Taliban, ISIS and Haqqani group are collaborating with each other to carry out bombings and targeted attacks," the agency said, without specifying when exactly the cell was apprehended.
Meanwhile, Afghan security forces carried out a ground and air operation against the Taliban in the restive eastern province of Nangarhar, officials said.
The operation was launched last week in the Sherzad district of Nangarhar, and so far 80 insurgents and their commanders had been killed, Afghan army commander Karim Niazi told reporters touring some areas of the district on Tuesday.
"The Taliban had control on these areas for more than eight years ... but now our ground and air forces are beating them," he said.
String of killings
Afghan authorities have made several arrests in connection with the assassinations of journalists and civil society activists, and the attacks on security forces and government employees.
Examples of the latest violence include an Afghan judge being fatally shot in an ambush in Jalalabad on February 3, and two female judges working for the Supreme Court being shot by militants in Kabul on January 17.
Targeted killings with remotely detonated bombs attached to vehicles, or drive-by shootings, have become favoured tactics of insurgents, especially during the morning commute in big cities.
Through targeted killings, the Taliban seek to create social chaos, gain leverage at the negotiating table, weaken the media and silence the voice of critics, Afghan authorities and analysts say.
The surge in violence comes as peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government that began in September are deadlocked.
Government negotiators are pushing for a permanent ceasefire, but the insurgents have so far dismissed calls for a truce.
Part 2 This way, I share information with the people and security and defense forces about the terrorist circle who is behind the terrorist attacks and who gets direct orders from the Pakistani intelligence agencies. Responsible authorities in the government have closed their doors on us for political reasons, and they have imposed information sanctions on us; however, it is not an obstacle and we perform our duty in delivering information to the people as it is our national and moral duty. The first person names Haji Ahmad Shah and he has close relations with ISI and MI or Pakistan's military intelligence services. He is very active in terrorist activities in Kabul and city and in some provinces of Afghanistan and has support of the Pakistani intelligence. The mentioned person take direct orders from Pakistan supply and cooperate in providing logistics to "Taliban, Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Taiba", and facilitate for terrorist attacks. Haji Ahmad Shah also visits Kabul and has close relations with some persons, and has hands in the current attacks in Kabul. The second person names Qari Jawad. He is directly supported and funded by ISI, and he leads around five hundred fighters. Qari Jawad carry out his work in Lugar Province and in the districts of Kabul, and he has direct hands in the current attacks in Kabul. The third person names Saifullah Mujahid Haqqani. He is responsible for training suicide attackers and launching explosions, and he has enough experience in
Reply4 Comment
Former Afghan intelligence chief Rahmatullah Nabil wrote an article on his Facebook page and published his photos taken with Pakistani officials together with the article: To the attention of the 6:30, 7:30, 8:30 and republic and half programs! The decree and legitimacy of killing and assassination of the innocent people in Kabul city and other cities in the villages and suburbs of Afghanistan that are going on seriously these days should be issued from two sources: 1. Based on the decree of Taliban's chief justice Sheikh Abdul Hakim, 2. The second source outside of the circle of Taliban's dominance. I have said this frequently and based on the precise and documented information that some of the attacks in Kabul and other cities are conducted by small terrorist groups who are directly administered by Pakistani intelligence agencies. Even, mostly the leadership of Taliban do not know about the planning and program of such public killing. It is clear that Taliban cannot take stance in this area because they are not independent and Pakistan has taken them hostage. Else, Taliban for sure know that which groups find direct instructions from the Pakistani intelligence and kill the defenseless Afghans; however, they are afraid of Pakistani intelligence and cannot take stance in this area. For two reasons, Taliban cannot take stance on the issue; first is that, a serious question is created with the public and with the international community as if Taliban's leadership have no cont
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The government should declare a state of emergency in the capital and make a regular plan to control the explosions and bombings. Every day, the residents of Kabul start their morning with bombs and explosions. Nowadays, even people have stopped commuting in the city, because there is possibility of explosions and suicide at any moment. It is a shame that the government cannot provide security in the capital. People have been fed up. Ashraf Ghani, if you cannot take security of your cities, you may better resign.
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I do not think peace between the Afghan government and Taliban will be made, and it is believed that the new government of the United States of America, led by Joe Biden, does not agree with the agreement that the country’s previous government signed with Taliban and is not ready to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan. It is presumed that in the spring of the solar year 1400, wars and explosions will escalate in Afghanistan, and a number of people, whose economic condition is good and can at least go out of Afghanistan, will leave the country. This will be to the loss of the country, because this is considered flight of capital from the country and will cause a blow to the economy of Afghanistan. People’s concern is increasing day by day. It would be better If peace is made between Taliban and the Afghan government, but if peace is not made, Taliban will continue their attacks, and it will be very difficult to eradicate this group, Taliban will continue their long war, and in this war poor people will be destroyed.
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