Two roadside blasts hit Afghanistan as violence spirals

A roadside bombing has killed at least four civilians and wounded four others in eastern Kabul, the second such blast in a day.

The eight were riding in a packed car in the district of Surobi on Tuesday when the vehicle hit the roadside bomb, setting it off, said Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz. He added the incident is under investigation.

Local governor Gohar Khan Baburi gave a slightly higher death toll, saying the bomb killed five people, including a 13-year-old boy, and wounded 11. The different casualty tolls could not immediately be reconciled.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the bombing but the district official blamed the Taliban, claiming they had placed the bomb to target a military convoy.

Also on Tuesday, three civilians and an intelligence officer travelling in a car were wounded in southern Kandahar province when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.

On Monday, the Taliban launched a complex attack on an intelligence compound in northern Afghanistan that began with a suicide bombing and was followed by hours-long clashes. At least 11 members of the intelligence agency were killed and 63 people were wounded, including civilians.

Another four people were killed in an attack on a mosque in Faryab in northern Afghanistan, also on Monday. Officials blamed the attack on the Taliban.

READ MORE: Suicide blast kills six in Afghan capital Kabul

Meanwhile, a statement from the Afghan president’s office said the commander of the US Central Command, General Kenneth F McKenzie, was in Kabul.

McKenzie met with President Ashraf Ghani to discuss the Afghan peace process and he reaffirmed the US commitment to peace and stability in the country, the statement said.

McKenzie also said the US will not let the country become a save haven for insurgent groups again, the statement said.

READ MORE: Taliban, Afghans end talks with 'promise to reduce violence'

US-Taliban deal enters 'next phase'

The US said on Monday that its landmark deal with the Taliban has entered the "next phase" while urging the militants to reduce rising violence even as the insurgents accused US forces of violating the accord.

The two sides signed an agreement in February that saw Washington pledge to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by the middle of next year, in return for the insurgents promising to hold negotiations with the Afghan government to end the long-running conflict.

Under phase one, the US said it would reduce troops to 8,600 within 135 days, while completely removing forces from five military bases.

On the 135th day, US special representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who negotiated the deal for Washington, tweeted that both sides had reached a "key milestone".

"The US has worked hard to carry out first phase of its commitments under the agreement, including to reduce troops & depart five bases," he said on Monday.

As the deal entered its "next phase", Washington's approach would be based on certain conditions, Khalilzad warned.

"We will press for completion of prisoner releases, reduction of violence and progress in intra-Afghan negotiations," he said.