At least four killed, many wounded in Afghanistan attacks

At least four people have been killed in separate attacks across Afghanistan, officials said on Monday, raising further concerns about the fate of peace talks that have been suspended until at least next month.
No one claimed responsibility for the attacks, but a local ISIL (ISIS) affiliate opposed to the peace process has continued to regularly target civilians and Afghan security forces.
The Taliban has halted its attacks on the United States and international forces, but continue to target Afghan security forces even as the group held talks this year with the Washington-backed government.
The Taliban attacked a police district headquarters in the western Farah province early on Monday, killing one policeman and wounding three others, according to Mohibullah Mohib, a spokesman for the provincial police chief.
He said the attack began when a suicide bomber was shot by police. His vehicle exploded, however, and then gunmen opened fire. He said at least four attackers were killed and eight others wounded.
In the eastern Ghazni province, two employees of the provincial revenue agency were shot and killed, according to Ahmad Khan Serat, a spokesman for the provincial police chief.
In the eastern Khost province, a roadside bomb killed a member of the security forces and wounded two other people, including a provincial council member, according to Kafel Rayan, head of the provincial council.
In two explosions on Monday in the capital Kabul, at least six people were wounded, according to Kabul police.
One targeted employees of the National Statistics Authority, who were in a minibus in the Guzargah neighbourhood. The blast also wounded at least six people, said Ferdaws Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief. He said the bomb had been placed on a bicycle.
Earlier on Monday, a sticky bomb blew up a vehicle belonging to security forces in the Kolola Pushta area of the city but caused no casualties, said Faramarz, adding that investigations into both the bomb attacks had begun.
Security officials also said Kabul police defused two bombs that were placed near an orphanage and a residential house, as explosions and targeted killings become a new normal in the capital in recent months.
Afghanistan’s Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who took charges of Kabul security over two months ago, said on Monday that the number of
police forces in Kabul will be doubled.
Saleh said basic knowledge of detection and investigation will be the main criteria of the new recruitments.