Targeted killing, violence intensify in Afghanistan

KABUL, April 21 (Xinhua) -- Following months of relative calmness in targeted killing, the scary menace once again intensified as at least 10 people were killed over the past four days, officials said Wednesday.

In the latest wave of targeted killing, two unidentified armed men riding a motorbike sprayed bullets on a guard of Balkh University in the nothern Mazar-i-Sharif city on Wednesday, killed him and escaped, police spokesman Adil Shah Adil told Xinhua.

A day earlier on Tuesday, the national capital Kabul had experienced three blasts, two on security personnel.

A bomb blast, which targeted a convoy of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) or the country's counter-intelligence agency at 09:50 p.m. local time Tuesday, injured five people including civilians, Interior Ministry spokesman Tareq Arian confirmed.

Similarly, unknown armed men opened fire on the car of an army officer in Police District 12 of Kabul in the morning rush hour of Tuesday, killing the officer and his driver on the spot, police said.

Other unknown militants detonated an explosive-laden car next to a checkpoint in Ghoryan district of western Herat province on Tuesday, killing three pro-government militiamen and injuring three others, provincial governor Sayed Waheed Qatali confirmed.

At least three persons including a policeman have been killed in targeted attacks and blasts in Kandahar over the past couple of days.

Unidentified armed men also gunned down a personnel of Afghan Air Force in northern Mazar-e-Sharif city on Sunday, police spokesman Adil Shah Adil said.

In the meantime, the security forces have arrested Taliban commander for targeted killings in southern Kandahar Attaullah along with seven of his men.

The increase of targeted killings and violent incidents are taking place in the wake of the White House decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the recent targeted attacks, officials have blamed the Taliban militants for the increasing violent incidents in the country.