UPDATE String of blasts in Afghan capital kill 5

NEW HEADLINE, DECK, COMPLETELY REWRITTEN

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) – At least five people were killed in the Afghan capital Kabul in back-to-back blasts caused by sticky bombs during morning rush hour, an official confirmed Saturday.

Two private cars and a police patrol vehicle were targeted in the morning blasts, Kabul police spokesman Firdaus Faramarz told Anadolu Agency.

The first two blasts took place in the western neighborhood of Darul Aman and northern quarter of Karta Parwan, where two cars exploded with sticky bombs attached, he said, adding that three people, including a woman, were killed and two injured.

A third similar blast blew up a police patrol vehicle in the Wahdat Pul area, killing two people.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but the government has blamed a string of bombings in recent weeks on Taliban and pro-ISIS/Daesh militants.

The attacks come on the heels of a NATO defense minister meeting on Thursday that broke with a proposed pullout plan from Afghanistan as agreed to last February in a US-Taliban deal.

On Feb. 2, prominent pro-peace religious figure Mohammad Atif was killed by one such sticky bomb attack.

Other casualties in the last three months include women’s rights activist Fereshteh Kohestani, Yusuf Rashid, head of the Free and Fair Election Foundation, and a number of prominent journalists.