KABUL: Four doctors who worked at an Afghan prison with hundreds of Taleban inmates were among five people killed yesterday by a bomb attached to their car, police said. The blast happened in a southern district of the city as the doctors travelled to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison where they worked, Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said. Four doctors and a passer-by were killed when a "magnetic bomb" attached to the car detonated, Faramarz said, adding that another two people were wounded. Hundreds of Taleban fighters and other criminals are incarcerated at Pul-e-Charkhi, located on the eastern outskirts of Kabul.

The city has been hit by a wave of deadly violence in recent months despite the Taleban and the government engaging in peace talks. Targeted killings of prominent figures, including journalists, politicians and rights activists have also become more common recently in Kabul and other provinces. The jihadist Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for some of the recent attacks in Kabul, which have killed dozens of people. Yesterday's attack came just two days after a car bomb targeting a lawmaker killed 10 people and wounded more than 50 in Kabul.

Lawmaker Khan Mohammad Wardak was wounded in the blast. Days before that incident, deputy Kabul province governor Mahbobullah Mohebi was killed in a similar attack. And on Monday, an Afghan journalist was shot dead by gunmen in the eastern city of Ghazni in what appeared to be a yet another targeted killing. Rahmatullah Nekzad had contributed to the Associated Press news agency since 2007 and had also previously worked with the Al-Jazeera broadcast network.

The same day, Afghan officials said security forces beat back a Taleban assault further north in Faryab province. The insurgents detonated a car bomb that severely damaged a bazaar and caused several casualties in Dawlat Abad district, according to provincial governor Naqibullah Faiq. Officials in northern Kunduz province also reported sporadic clashes after two separate checkpoints were attacked by the Taleban, with authorities providing differing figures on casualties. - AFP