9 Afghan soldiers killed in helicopter crash in central province

The Defense Ministry on Thursday killed at least nine Afghan military personnel in a central province in a helicopter crash.

In a statement, it said that five security personnel along with four crew members of the Mi-17 helicopter were killed, in the Behsud district of Maidan Wardak province. No further details were given except to say that the investigation was on.

Police said four state employees died in a minibus in the capital Kabul in a separate bomb blast on Thursday. Kabul’s chief of police spokesman, Fardavas Faramaz, said a woman was killed and nine other people were injured in the attack north of the city.

Nobody claimed immediate responsibility for the Kabul attack, but government employees have already been targeted. According to security officials, three women and a 3-year-old child were killed and 13 others were injured in a bombing of a minibus carrying state employees in Kabul on Monday.

Afghanistan faces a nationwide spike in bombings, targeted killings and other violence as peace talks in Qatar between Taliban rebels and the Afghan government stall.

A local ally of the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for some of the violence, but several attacks are unclaimed, with the Afghan government blaming the Taliban. The insurgents have denied responsibility for most of the attacks.

The attack in Kabul takes place on the same day that Russia hosts one of three US conferences aimed at starting the peace process, which is the May 1 deadline for the final withdrawal of US and NATO troops from the country.

The Moscow Conference is seen as an important step towards peace. Key players are participating, including US peace envoy Jhalmay Khalilzad, Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who will lead the 10-member delegation. Representatives from Pakistan, Iran, India and China are also participating.