BFF-17 Bomb kills three in Afghan capital

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AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT-BLAST

Bomb kills three in Afghan capital

KABUL, Jan 10, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – An Afghan journalist-turned spokesman for
the country’s public protection force was killed along with two colleagues
Sunday by a bomb targeting their vehicle, the interior ministry said.

The murder of Zia Wadan, who previously worked for several media networks
in Afghanistan, appeared to be the latest in a series of targeted killings
that have rocked Afghanistan, especially Kabul.

Wadan and his colleagues were killed in morning rush-hour traffic in an
eastern part of the capital, ministry spokesman Tariq Arian told reporters.

“A vehicle carrying Zia Wadan was targeted with an IED… as a result Wadan
and two of his colleagues were killed,” Arian said, adding that another
person was wounded.

No group has claimed the attack so far.

Wadan was spokesman for the National Public Protection Force (NPPF), a
security service under the interior ministry that deploys guards to
international organisations across Afghanistan.

Deadly violence has surged across the country in recent months, and a new
trend of targeted killings has sowed fear, especially in Kabul.

High-profile figures including journalists, politicians and rights
activists have increasingly been targeted despite peace talks between the
government and Taliban.

Since November, five journalists have been killed in targeted killings
along with several other prominent figures.

BSS/AFP/MSY/1220 hrs