Sticky bomb kills female doctor in Jalalabad

A female doctor was killed and a child was injured in a bombing in Jalalabad in what appeared to be another targeted hit, officials said Thursday (March 4), just days after three female media workers were gunned down in the city.

The "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria"'s Khorasan branch (ISIS-K) has claimed responsibility.

Journalists, religious scholars, activists and judges have been victims of a recent wave of political assassinations across Afghanistan, forcing many into hiding -- with some fleeing the country.

In the latest incident, the doctor was killed after a magnetic bomb was attached to the rickshaw she was travelling in went off, according to a spokesman from the provincial governor's office.

Another spokesman from a provincial hospital confirmed the incident.

The attack comes two days after three female media workers from Enikass TV were gunned down in Jalalabad in two separate attacks mere minutes apart.

ISIS-K claimed its gunmen had killed them.

In a Wednesday statement, the European Union External Action Service (EEAS) described the killing of Mursal Wahidi, Shahnaz Raofi and Sadia Sadat as "atrocious, planned assassinations".

"Following the killing of Malalai Maiwand in December, these attacks further illustrate the vulnerable and dangerous situation that media workers, especially women, face," the EEAS said.

"The Taliban remain responsible for the majority of civilian casualties and targeted assassinations, either directly or by opposing a ceasefire," it said.

The Taliban are "clearly responsible" for the recent violence, agreed the United States.

"Targeting journalists must stop. Targeting women must stop. The violence in Afghanistan must stop," EEAS said.

Afghan and US officials have blamed the Taliban for the wave of violence, but the group has denied the charges. The Taliban-linked Haqqani Network and ISIS-K have been co-ordinating terror acts, suggests recent evidence.

Hazara killed near Jalalabad

In a separate incident, at least seven men were brutally murdered on Wednesday near Jalalabad, where a large number of militants are believed to have influence, including the Taliban and ISIS-K, local officials said Thursday.

The group of migrant Hazara labourers had their hands bound behind their backs and were shot to death late Wednesday, according to Nangarhar provincial council member Ajmal Omar.

Jumagul Hemat -- Nangarhar's provincial police chief -- confirmed the murders, adding that four suspects had been arrested as part of the investigation.

No group has claimed responsibility.

For years, the Hazara have increasingly taken the brunt of rising violence across Afghanistan with ISIS-K suicide bombers attacking their mosques, schools, rallies and hospitals.

During the Taliban's brief rule of the country (1996-2001), the Taliban were accused of massacring large numbers of Hazara.