Series of Explosions Target Police in Kabul; At Least 2 Dead

Afghan security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. A series of explosions hit the Afghan capital on Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Afghan security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. A series of explosions hit the Afghan capital on Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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Series of Explosions Target Police in Kabul; At Least 2 Dead

Afghan security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. A series of explosions hit the Afghan capital on Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Afghan security personnel inspect the site of a bomb attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. A series of explosions hit the Afghan capital on Saturday morning. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

A series of explosions hit the Afghan capital on Saturday morning, killing at least two police officers and wounding another two plus a civilian, officials said.

The officers died and a civilian was hurt when a magnetic bomb attached to a police vehicle detonated in western Kabul, said police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz.

Two other police were wounded when a bomb attached to their car exploded earlier Saturday in southern Kabul, Faramarz said.

A third magnetic bomb detonated in eastern Kabul but caused no casualties, he said.

There were reports of at least two other blasts elsewhere in the city but police had no immediate details.

The latest attacks came as Taliban and Afghan government negotiators held talks in Qatar, trying to hammer out a peace deal that could put an end to decades of war.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks in Kabul. The ISIS group has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks in the capital in recent months, including on educational institutions that killed 50 people, most of them students.

The talks in Doha have been suspended until early January and there is speculation they could be further delayed.

At the same time, Taliban militants have waged bitter battles against ISIS fighters, particularly in eastern Afghanistan, while continuing their insurgency against government forces and keeping their promise not to attack US and NATO troops.

ISIS has also claimed responsibility for last week´s rocket attacks targeting the major US base in Afghanistan. There were no casualties.



Kremlin: Putin and Trump Discussed Middle East Tensions, Ukraine Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Sergei Bulkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Sergei Bulkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
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Kremlin: Putin and Trump Discussed Middle East Tensions, Ukraine Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Sergei Bulkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, June 12, 2025. (Sergei Bulkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a 50-minute phone call Saturday to discuss the escalating situation in the Middle East and Ukraine peace talks, Putin foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said.

During the conversation, Putin briefed Trump on his recent talks with the leaders of Iran and Israel and reiterated Russia’s proposal to seek mutually acceptable solutions on the Iranian nuclear issue.

“The dangerous escalation of the situation in the Middle East was naturally at the center of the exchange of opinions,” Ushakov told journalists following the conversation between Putin and Trump.

“Vladimir Putin, having condemned the military operation against Iran, expressed serious concern about the possible escalation of the conflict,” he said, warning of “unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East.”

Putin also emphasized Russia’s readiness to carry out possible mediation efforts, and noted that Russia had proposed steps “aimed at finding mutually acceptable agreements” during US-Iran negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.

“Russia’s principled approach and interest in the settlement remain unchanged,” Ushakov said.

Trump described the regional situation as “very alarming,” Ushakov said, but acknowledged the “effectiveness” of Israel’s strikes on targets in Iran.

The leaders did not rule out a possible return to negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, according to Ushakov.

According to Ushakov, Putin told Trump about the implementation of the agreements during peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian delegations, including the exchange of prisoners of war.

“Our president noted that an exchange of prisoners of war is taking place, including seriously wounded and prisoners of war under 25 years of age,” Ushakov said, along with expressing readiness to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians.

Trump, he said, “noted his interest in a speedy end to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.”

Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.