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Insurgents Launch 4 Attacks in Afghanistan Insurgents Launch 4 Attacks in Afghanistan
(about 9 hours later)
KABUL — Afghan intelligence agents on Sunday shot and killed a man in a sport utility vehicle that officials said had been packed with explosives, foiling what they described as an attempt to set off a massive explosion in a neighborhood of narrow streets lined with foreign embassies. KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghan intelligence agents on Sunday shot and killed a man in a sport utility vehicle that officials said was packed with explosives, stopping what they described as an attempt to set off an explosion in a neighborhood of narrow streets lined with foreign embassies.
At about the same time, Taliban suicide attackers set off three separate car bombs in two provinces near the capital. But the bombs did minimal damage,  officials said, and the toll from the Sunday violence was low. In addition to the two attackers and the suspect, two security guards and a police officer were also killed and five other people wounded, including one attacker who managed to flee. About the same time, the Taliban set off three car bombs in two provinces near the capital. But the bombs did minimal damage, officials said, and the death toll from the attacks was low. In addition to the attackers, two security guards and a police officer were killed and five other people wounded, including one of the insurgents who got away.
A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the insurgents were behind the three successful bombings. But he disavowed knowledge of the attempt in Kabul, saying Taliban commanders in the city had no plans for an attack on Sunday. Taliban insurgents were behind the three explosions in the provinces, said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the group. But he disavowed knowledge of the attempt in Kabul, saying that Taliban commanders in the city had no plans for an attack on Sunday.
While it is not unusual for the Taliban to deny having a hand in a failed attack, much about the attempted bombing Sunday remained murky, with officials hailing Afghan security forces for acting quickly but offering only the barest details about how the man identified as a bomber was spotted. While it is not unusual for the Taliban to deny having a hand in a failed attack, much about the attempted bombing remained murky, with officials hailing Afghan security forces for acting quickly but offering only the barest of details about how the man identified as a bomber was spotted.
The police chief of Kabul, Gen. Mohammed Ayoub Salangi, said the suspect was in a Toyota sport utility vehicle and was trying to pass through a checkpoint when he was recognized by agents from the country’s intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security. Kabul’s police chief, Gen. Mohammed Ayoub Salangi, said the suspect was trying to pass through a checkpoint in a Toyota sport utility vehicle when he was recognized by agents from the country’s intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security.
The man “was gunned down,” General Salangi said. The agents had to act quickly, he added, saying that there was no time to inspect the vehicle or question the suspect because that would have given him the chance to detonate the explosives. The man “was gunned down,” General Salangi said. The agents had to act quickly, he added, saying that there was no time to inspect the vehicle or question the driver because that would have given him the chance to detonate the explosives.
General Salangi, who in an earlier statement said there were two men in the car, did not say how or why the agents recognized the man. But he added that the car bomb was quickly defused and carted away. General Salangi, who in an earlier statement said there were two men in the car, did not say how or why the agents recognized the driver. He said the bomb was quickly defused and carted away.
The bombing attempt, in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, led some embassies to did briefly lock down the streets on which they are located and on which they control security. The spot where the man was shot were was less than a mile from the United States Embassy and the headquarters of the American-led coalition, neither of which offered any comment. The bombing attempt, in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood, led some embassies to briefly close the streets where they are located and where they control security. The spot where the man was shot is less than a mile from the United States Embassy and the headquarters of the American-led coalition. 
Earlier in the day, in Jalalabad, a city in eastern Afghanistan, a single bomber in a Toyota Corolla directly targeted the Security Directorate, officials said, detonating his explosive-laden vehicle outside a building used by the intelligence agency. Two guards were killed and a third was wounded, said Hazrat Mohammad Mashraqiwal, a police spokesman in Jalalabad. Earlier in the day, in Jalalabad, a city in eastern Afghanistan, a bomber in a Toyota Corolla targeted the intelligence service, officials said, detonating explosives in the car outside a building used by the agency. Two guards were killed and a third was wounded, said Hazrat Mohammad Mashraqiwal, a police spokesman in Jalalabad.
Later on Sunday, two people in another car laden with explosives tried to enter the district governor’s compound in Baraki Barak district of Logar Province, south of Kabul. But they were stopped by police officers guarding the compound, prompting one man to jump and make a run for it and the other to set off the car bomb, said Abdul Rahim Amin, the governor. Two people in another car later tried to enter the district governor’s compound in the Baraki Barak district of Logar Province, south of Kabul. But they were stopped by police officers guarding the compound, prompting one man to flee and the other to detonate the bomb, officials said.
One police officer was wounded in the attack, along with the man who fled.One police officer was wounded in the attack, along with the man who fled.
Earlier in Logar, around dawn, a minivan packed with explosives was set off at a police post near the provincial capital, Pul-e-Alam. One officer was killed and two others wounded, an official said. Around dawn, a minivan packed with explosives was set off at a police post near Pul-e-Alam, the capital of Logar Province. One officer was killed and two others were wounded, an official said.
Sharifullah Sahak contributed reporting.Sharifullah Sahak contributed reporting.