At least nine civilians, including a woman, were wounded when an IED placed in a motorbike went off in Fazi Mohammad Kateb road in PD6 in Kabul, the Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

The blast in Kabul occurs as the reduction in violence (RIV) entered its fifth day on Wednesday amid hopes that this would finally lead to a nationwide ceasefire.

The Taliban’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid in a twitter post rejected the involvement of the group, saying intelligence networks are trying to create distrust.

“Blast in Kabul city has no relation with (the Taliban) but seems to be the malicious work of intelligence networks trying to create distrust,” Mujahid tweeted.

According to the Afghan government, 19 security force members and four civilians have been killed in Taliban attacks since the implementation of the reduction in violence (RIV) plan on February 21. 35 security force members were wounded in these attacks by the Taliban, according to government sources.