A number of people have been killed in explosions near a funeral in Kabul just days after a powerful truck bomb attack killed more than 80 and wounded hundreds.

The explosions rocked a cemetery where a local senator's son was about to be buried, Interior Ministry deputy spokesman Najib Danish said.

Mr Danish said at least six people had been killed, while a witness who did not want to be quoted by name told the Reuters news agency that 12 people had died and 18 had been wounded.

Afghanistan's Tolo News television reported that as many as 18 had been killed.

Mr Danish said government officials, including members of Parliament, had been at the funeral, which was being held for Salim Ezadyar, the son of Senator Alam Ezadyar.

Alam Ezadyar is deputy speaker for the upper house of the Afghanistan Parliament.

Government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah was at the funeral, but was unharmed, a statement from his office said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Taliban, which has often carried out bomb attacks in the past, issued a swift denial that it had any role and instead blamed factional rivalries in the Government's own camp, the group's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.

The explosions follow Wednesday's powerful truck bomb attack, which killed more than 80 people and wounded hundreds.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of downtown Kabul demanding better security in the capital in the wake of the truck attack.

Several demonstrators were killed and police were injured in the protests, authorities said.

Salim Ezadyar was one of the demonstrators killed during the protest on Friday.

The nature of Friday's demonstration shifted when protesters — many calling for the country's leadership to resign — attempted to move closer to the palace and some rushed police, who fired warning shots and used water cannons and eventually tear gas in attempt to disperse the crowd.

The city's police chief said some demonstrators fired weapons in the direction of his men.

A member of Parliament said on Friday that eight protesters had been shot dead, while a hospital official said four corpses were brought to his facility.

Police said two protesters were killed on Friday and 25 police injured, but would not comment on the number of fatalities when asked to clarify the death toll on Saturday.

The truck attack was one of the deadliest attacks in the 16-year Afghanistan intervention. </s> KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Latest on developments in Afghanistan (all times local):

An Afghan official says explosions in Kabul have killed at least four people attending a funeral reportedly attended by government officials, including members of parliament.

Najib Danish, Interior Ministry deputy spokesman, says three explosions rocked a cemetery where Sen. Alam Ezadyar’s son was about to be buried. Salim Ezadyar was killed during a protest Friday attended by hundreds in Kabul, said.

Ezadyar is deputy speaker for the upper house of the country’s parliament.

More than a thousand people demonstrated Friday demanding more security in the capital following a powerful truck bomb attack in the city that killed 90 people and wounded more than 450. Officials say several were killed and wounded.

A demonstration in downtown Kabul that left several people dead has entered a second day.

More than a thousand people demonstrated Friday demanding more security in the capital following a powerful truck bomb attack in the city that killed 90 people and wounded more than 450.

Scores of protesters passed the night under two big tents on a road near the presidential palace and the blast site. All roads toward the palace and diplomatic areas are being blocked Saturday by police and there is limited movement of vehicles and people.

On Friday, demonstrators rushed toward police who fired warning shots and when they attempted to move closer to the palace, police sprayed them with hoses from a water tanker and later fired tear gas. </s> Kabul: At least 18 Afghans were killed when three back-to-back explosions ripped through a funeral on Saturday for one of the demonstrators killed during anti-government protests on Friday, witnesses and media reported.

The people killed on a hill in the northern part of Kabul had not been identified. The public health ministry confirmed the casualties. Ministry spokesman Wahid Majroh said 87 people were wounded.

Embattled President Ashraf Ghani condemned the assault, calling it an "outrageous attack on mourners burying the martyred."

"The country is under attack," Ghani said. "We must be strong and united."

Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah and Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani were among those attending the funeral. They were reportedly safe.

The funeral was for the son of deputy head of Senate, Salim Ezadyar. A helicopter was seen landing on the hill while ambulance sirens were heard heading to the site of the explosions.

Earlier, authorities had urged locals to end anti-government protests because of reports that militants would target any gathering, similar to one that killed scores of people last year.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Saturday's blasts, which were suicide attacks. The resurgent Taliban said it was not involved in the assault.

The attack drew condemnation from political parties and ordinary Afghans.

Friday's protest was launched following a series of deadly attacks by insurgents, including one in Kabul that killed more than 100 people and wounded hundreds more on Wednesday.

In addition to civilians, Friday's protesters included several political figures and a key factional leader, Ahmad Zai Masood, whom President Ashraf Ghani fired from a top government job recently.

They demanded removal of Ghani's shaky government and pushed for formation of an interim administration, at least partly for its failure to stop the attacks.

The protesters chanted anti-American and anti-Pakistani slogans, demanded execution of militant inmates and accused the government of being too lenient in the fight against the insurgents.

The resurgent Taliban, with whom the government has been trying broker a peace deal, has denied involvement in Wednesday's attack. The Afghan government has blamed it on the Haqqani network, which is seen as the operational wing of the Taliban.

Friday's protest became violent after some of demonstrators continued moving forward after entreaties by police to stop several hundred metres away from the presidential palace, witnesses said. Security forces opened fire and used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Five protesters died and almost 10 were wounded.

Ghani on Saturday ordered an investigation into the incident to "identify those who acted unlawfully."

The commander for Kabul's garrison, General Gul Nabi Ahmadzai, in a news conference later on Friday said some protesters carried weapons and wounded some security personnel.

Ahmadzai and General Murad Ali Murad, a deputy interior minister, urged the protesters to end their demonstration, citing fears that suicide attackers would target such rallies, as they did last year. </s> New police chief among those who died when convoy was attacked in Farah province

This article is more than 9 months old

This article is more than 9 months old

Twenty policemen were killed in a Taliban ambush of a police convoy in western Afghanistan and 10 troops died in an insurgent attack on an army checkpoint in the north, Afghan officials said on Monday, as minority Shias took to the streets of Kabul for the second day to protest against the arrest of a local militia commander.

During the demonstration in the Afghan capital, protesters opened fire on the police, wounding four policemen. The deputy interior minister, Gen Akhtar Mohammad Ibrahimi, said 44 policemen were also injured when protesters threw stones and other hard objects at them.

The Taliban ambush, in western Farah province on Sunday afternoon, wounded four policemen, including the deputy provincial police chief, said Dadullah Qaneh, a member of the provincial council.

The convoy was on its way to the district of Lash Wa Juwayn to introduce the newly appointed district police chief when it came under attack, said another council member, Abdul Samad Salehi. The police chief was also killed, said Qaneh.

In the northern Faryab province, the Taliban attacked an army checkpoint in Qaisar district, killing 10 troops, said Mohammad Tahir Rahmani, head of the provincial council. Three soldiers were wounded, while the fate of five others is unknown.

The Taliban, who in recent years have taken control of nearly half of Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the Farah attack, which was the latest in a series of brutal, near-daily Taliban assaults on Afghan military and security forces. There was no statement on the Faryab assault.

The Taliban view the US-backed government in Kabul as a dysfunctional western puppet and have refused to negotiate with it.

The protesters in western Kabul were rallying to denounce the arrest of Abdul Ghani Alipoor, a Shia militia leader in western Ghor province. The Afghan intelligence service accuses Alipoor of leading an illegal armed group that is behind extortion and other mafia-like behaviour in the region.

“I can hear the sporadic sound of shooting from the area,” MP Nasrullah Sadeqizada, who lives nearby, told AP by phone on Monday.

Russia hosts talks between Taliban and Afghan peace council Read more

Mahobullah, a resident form the area, said hundreds of protesters were carrying posters of Alipoor, shouting “Alipoor is innocent” and demanding that he be released. During a previous attempt to arrest Alipoor, in June, security forces in Ghor clashed with his followers, leading to the deaths of seven civilians and four policemen.

On Sunday, hundreds clashed with police during a similar protest in Kabul. In that demonstration, three policemen were shot and wounded and 20 were injured by stones thrown by protesters, who also torched two police checkpoints.

There were also protests on Monday in the northern Balkh and central Bamyan provinces, but no reports of violence. </s> At least five people were killed on Sunday when Taliban gunmen attacked a courthouse in eastern Afghanistan, an attack the insurgent group said was in retaliation for the government execution of six militants in May.

Two attackers opened fire at an appeals court in Pul-e Alam in Logar province, just south of the Afghan capital city of Kabul, according to the province's deputy police chief Nesar Ahmad Abdul Rahimzai.

Among the five killed in the attack was the newly named head of the appeals court, Rahimzai said.

The gunmen injured at least 19 other people before being killed by security forces, he added.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid saying it was in response to the government's execution of six Taliban prisoners in early May.

The executions followed a deadly attack in Kabul that killed at least 64 people, prompting President Ashraf Ghani to declare that the "time of unjustified amnesty" for insurgents was over. </s> KABUL — Explosions in Kabul on Saturday killed at least six people attending a funeral reportedly attended by government officials, including members of parliament, a day after hundreds of demonstrators turned out to demand more security in the capital.

The explosions came just three days after a powerful truck bomb attack in the city that killed 90 people and wounded more than 450. The attack raised fears about the government’s ability to protect its citizens nearly 16 years into a war with insurgents.

Wahid Mujro, spokesman for the Public Health ministry, said three explosions rocked a cemetery where Afghan Sen. Alam Ezadyar’s son was about to be buried. Salim Ezadyar was one of several people killed during the protest Friday attended by more than a thousand people in downtown Kabul.

Alam Ezadyar is deputy speaker for the upper house of the Afghanistan Parliament.

A couple hundred protesters passed the night under two big tents on a road near the presidential palace and the blast site and about 200 more joined them during the day. All roads toward the palace and nearby diplomatic areas were blocked Saturday by police and there was limited movement of vehicles and people.

The nature of Friday’s demonstration shifted when protesters — many calling for the country’s leadership to resign — attempted to move closer to the palace and some rushed police, who fired warning shots and used water cannons and eventually tear gas in attempt to disperse the crowd. The city’s police chief said some demonstrators fired weapons in the direction of his men.

A member of Parliament said Friday that eight protesters had been shot dead, while a hospital official said four corpses were brought to his facility. Police said Friday two protesters were killed and 25 police injured but would not comment on the number of fatalities when asked to clarify the death toll Saturday.

Meanwhile on Saturday, Gen. Murad Ali Murad, deputy interior minister, urged demonstrators to disperse because of a high security threat level in the country. He also called on members of the public not to join the demonstration.

Ghani, meanwhile, met with senior security officials during an emergency security meeting. A statement from the president’s office said the meeting determined that an investigation must find out what exactly happened that led to the violence and identify those who acted against the law.

Most of the casualties from the truck bombing were civilians, including women and children, officials have said. But the dead also included Afghan security guards at the facilities, including the U.S. Embassy, and 11 American contractors were wounded — none with life-threatening injuries, a U.S. State Department official said.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came in the first week of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. </s> Six people were killed and 87 others hurt Saturday as explosions erupted during the funeral of a protester killed here a day earlier in anti-government demonstrations, a Health Ministry spokesman told CNN.

“Three big bangs” went off at the funeral of Salem Izadyar, the son of Mohammad Alam Izadyar, the first deputy chairman of the Afghan Senate, a witness told CNN.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani quickly condemned Saturday’s “outrageous attack on mourners burying the martyred,” he said on Twitter. “The country is under attack. We must be strong and united.”

The Taliban denied involvement in the funeral attack, according to a statement.

The government’s chief executive, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, tweeted that he was not harmed.

Salem Izadyar died at a hospital after he was injured Friday in anti-government protests in Kabul, Afghan media reported.

Incensed over the Wednesday suicide attack that left 90 dead in Kabul’s diplomatic zone, Afghans took to the streets Friday to demand the government’s resignation. At least four people died in the protests as demonstrators hurled stones and Afghan police fired bullets into the air in an attempt to disperse crowds.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan expressed concern about the Wednesday strike and the rage on the streets on Friday.

“The genuine anger expressed by the protesters, many of whom suffered the loss of family and friends, is fully understandable,” Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said Friday in a statement.

“But this tragic week has already added too much civilian suffering to Afghanistan, and further violence will not solve any problems,” he said.

The violence comes as a regional summit is scheduled for Tuesday in Afghanistan to promote peace, security and reconciliation. The effort is dubbed the Kabul Process, and representatives from 21 nations have been invited, according to local news reports.

The conference will be a “visible reminder to all those who seek to harm Afghanistan that the Afghan people are never alone,” US ambassador to Afghanistan Hugo Llorens said.

“As always, the United States, along with all of Afghanistan’s partners, remains shoulder-to-shoulder with our Afghan brothers and sisters in pursuit of a brighter tomorrow for all Afghans,” Llorens said in a statement. </s> Eight police officers, all members of the same family, were killed in northern Afghanistan on Friday after a colleague working with the Taliban drugged and shot them at a checkpoint, police and government officials said.

No group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack but a spokesman for Faryab provincial police told AFP the suspected assailant had "fled back to the Taliban".

The victims, four regular police and four auxiliary officers, "were drugged by their colleague who then opened fire on them at a police checkpoint in the Almar district" of Faryab province, provincial police spokesman Abul Karim Yoresh told AFP.

District governor Saleh Saleh confirmed that all eight of the police officers were members of the same family.

Local media reported that the suspected assailant police officer had joined the Taliban a year ago.

A similar incident happened in September when two Afghan soldiers opened fire on their sleeping colleagues in their barracks in the northern province of Kunduz.

On Wednesday the US government's Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said in a report that the death rate among Afghan troops and police soared last year as the Kabul government's overall control of the country declined significantly. </s> Gunman kills 14 at shrine in Afghan capital Kabul, police say

Updated

At least 14 people have been killed after a gunman in a police uniform opened fire on worshippers gathered at a shrine in the Afghan capital of Kabul for a Shiite holy day, officials said.

Thirteen civilians and one police officer died and 36 people were wounded, Ministry of Interior spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.

The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack

Ministry of Public Health officials said at least 43 people had been injured in the incident and had been taken to hospitals in the city for treatment.

The attack began just before 8:00pm (local time), police said, with witnesses reporting an explosion followed by gunfire.

Initial reports put the number of attackers at three, but Sediqqi said police special forces who responded to the scene found and killed only one gunman.

The attacker was dressed in a police uniform, according to a police official.

Security forces at the scene evacuated the shrine as the attack unfolded, said Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi.

The attack occurred at one of Kabul's largest shrines as Shiite Muslims gathered to observe the Ashura holy day, which commemorates the 7th century death of a grandson of the prophet Mohammed.

Afghanistan has largely avoided widespread sectarian violence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, but Afghanistan's Shiite minority has complained of discrimination and has faced increased threats.

At least 84 people were killed and another 130 injured in a suicide attack on a Shiite demonstration in July.

That attack, during a protest march in Kabul, was also claimed by Islamic State militants.

In 2011, Ashura gatherings were targeted by suicide bombers in Kabul and the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, killing about 80 people altogether.

Reuters

Topics: terrorism, death, afghanistan

First posted
Five anti-government/anti-Taliban protestors are shot dead by police in Kabul, Afghanistan, after demanding that the government step down in the wake of the May 2017 Kabul attack.