16 killed in Afghanistan in bombings

Three Afghan soldiers and 13 militants were killed in separate bombings in Afghanistan Sunday, officials said.

The Defence Ministry, in a statement, said three army soldiers were killed in improvised explosive device (IED) attacks in the country, Xinhua reported Sunday.

Home-made IEDs used by the Taliban insurgent group have remained a major threat for the security forces in Afghanistan.

Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah escaped unhurt in twin-bomb blasts in Afghanistan's capital city Kabul last week.

On Sunday afternoon, eight Taliban fighters, including an insurgent local leader Mawlawi Zarif, were killed when an IED they were assembling exploded prematurely in a house in Kohistanat district of northern Sari Pul province, Xinhua quoted deputy provincial police chief Sakhidad Haydari as saying.

Elsewhere, five militants were killed when a roadside bomb they were planting detonated accidentally in Sangin district of southern Helmand province overnight.

The Taliban have intensified attacks as the country is preparing for presidential run-off polls slated for June 14.