World

Former Afghan TV presenter, two others killed in explosion in Kabul

A bomb attached to the vehicle of a former presenter on Afghanistan’s TOLO TV exploded early Saturday, killing the journalist and two other civilians, Kabul police said.

The death of Yama Siawash is being investigated and the identity of the other victims was not immediately known, said police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz. No one has immediately claimed responsibility.

Violence and chaos have increased in Afghanistan in recent months with an attack last week on Kabul University that killed 22 people, many of them students. The Islamic State affiliate claimed that attack as well as another assault on an educational institution on Oct. 24, also in the capital, that killed 24 people.

The surge in violent attacks comes even as government negotiators and the Taliban are meeting in Qatar to find an end to decades of relentless war in Afghanistan. The two sides have made little progress.

The talks were part of a negotiated agreement between the United States and the Taliban to allow US and NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan, ending 19 years of military engagement.

(The Associated Press)