8 killed, 31 wounded in Kabul attack, victim's family grieve

An Afghan official says at least 23 mortar shells targeted different residential areas in Kabul, killing at least eight people and wounding 31 others on Saturday.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson says the shells were fired from two vehicles in the early hours or Saturday Morning. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

This attack came as representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban continue to hold talks in Qatar, though progress has been slow.

The Taliban issued a quick statement denying any responsibility for the attack. The Islamic State group affiliate also operates in the area and has admitted recent assaults in Kabul including two devastating attacks on educational institutions that killed more than 50 people, many of them students.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to press for a reduction in violence in his meetings with both sides on Saturday, though the Taliban have mostly ignored such previous requests.

Violence in Afghanistan has spiked in recent months, with increasingly horrific attacks often claimed by the Islamic State group affiliate. Still the Taliban have been waging near daily assaults on beleaguered Afghan security forces.

There have been increasing calls for a cease-fire, if peace talks are to continue. The Taliban have been steadfast in their refusal, demanding that any cease-fire be part of the negotiations.