Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
April 2, 2021
A roadside bomb attack killed at least five civilians and wounded seven others on April 2 in Afghanistan, local officials said.
Omer Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor in southern Helmand Province, said the five killed were traveling by car near Lashkar Gah, the capital of the province.
He said the death toll could rise.
In a separate roadside bomb attack in western Herat Province, seven women traveling in a minivan were wounded, the provincial governor’s office said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
Meanwhile, in a statement late on April 1, the extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the killing of a policewoman in eastern Nangarhar Province earlier that day.
A wave of assassinations has in past weeks targeted government employees, academics, rights workers, and journalists as peace negotiations in Qatar between the Taliban and the Afghan government have stalled.
On March 30, three women working to administer polio vaccines were killed in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province.
Earlier last month, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the killing of three female employees of a privately owned media outlet, also in Jalalabad.
Many other killings have gone unclaimed.
Afghan and U.S. officials blame the Taliban, which has denied involvement in many attacks.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and TOLOnews
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