Two blasts kill 7 civilians in Afghanistan

At least seven people were killed and six others received injuries in two blasts targeting passenger vans in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Saturday, said Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs following a the military's tactical retreat. The explosions hit vehicles on the same road about two kilometers apart in western Kabul, with first blast happening in the Dasht-e-Barchi area in Kabul's 13th District, including a second blast less than 30 minutes in Mahtab Qala area (District 6). According to the ministry, the first blast killed six people and wounded two others, whereas the other killed one and wounded four leading security forces to cordoned off the area and probe into the incident meanwhile no group has so far claimed responsibility for the blast. The attack came days after the Taliban group claimed the capture of 18 districts in 14 provinces of Afghanistan in the past month, but the Afghan Ministry of Defence denied it and said that security forces tactically retreated in some areas in order to prevent civilian casualties. Earlier, United States Central Command announced that they estimate the US withdrawal from Afghanistan to be somewhere between 16 percent and 25 percent complete. In accordance, the US and NATO have started formally withdrawing troops from Afghanistan under a deal signed last year between the Taliban and US in Doha, Qatar.