At least five dead in Taliban blast in Afghan city: officials

A Taliban car bomb in eastern Afghanistan killed at least five people and wounded scores more Sunday, Afghan officials said, in a blast that came amid ongoing peace talks in Qatar. The Taliban are meeting with US negotiators and Afghan representatives in Doha as the US pushes to end its 18-year involvement in Afghanistan, but violence from the insurgents and the US military has continued apace.

Sunday's suicide attack hit the eastern city of Ghazni and targeted an intelligence unit, Ghazni provincial governor spokesman Aref Noori told AFP. He put the death toll at six, including two military personnel and four civilians.

Baz Mohammad Hemmat, the head of a Ghazni private hospital, said five were dead and 70 others wounded. The Taliban claimed the attack in a WhatsApp message.

The seventh round of Taliban-US talks is aimed at forging a deal that would see the US military quit Afghanistan in return for various guarantees. Both sides have reported substantial progress in the talks, which are paused Sunday and Monday while the Taliban meet with Afghan representatives for a so-called intra-Afghan dialogue.

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