Five killed in attack on UN convoy in Afghanistan

Five Afghan security personnel were killed Thursday when a United Nations convoy they were escorting came under attack in Kabul province, the UN mission said, in the latest violence to rock the country.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) said no UN personnel were hurt in the attack that happened in the restive Surobi district of the province outside of the capital Kabul.

"The UN family in Afghanistan mourns the loss of five Afghan Directorate of Protection Service personnel in an incident today in Surobi district of Kabul," UNAMA tweeted, referring to a unit of the interior ministry that provides security personnel to UN and foreign embassies.

"No UN personnel were hurt or vehicle effected in an attack which hit a DPS vehicle that was escorting a UN convoy.

"Violence in Afghanistan must end," tweeted Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Secretary General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan.

Violence in Afghanistan has surged in recent months despite the Taliban and Afghan government engaging in peace talks since September in Qatar.

The negotiations have so far failed to achieve any breakthrough, with the Taliban carrying out daily attacks targeting government forces across rural areas.

Violence has particularly surged in the capital where a new trend of targeted killing of prominent Afghans like journalists, activists, judges and politicians has sown fear and chaos in the restive city.

Agencies contributed to this report.