At least 25 killed in Afghan attacks, including journalists

A series of attacks in Afghanistan on Monday morning have killed at least 25 people, including eight journalists.

At least 49 others were injured in the attacks, according to public health officials.

The first attack took place roughly at 8:00 a.m. local time in Kabul, and was believed to be carried out by a suicide bomber who blew himself up near a sub-office of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), the country's primary intelligence agency, in the Shash Darak locality.

In another explosion that followed minutes later, a second suicide bombing occurred in the same area, targeting a group of journalists who had rushed to the scene of the attack, according to AFP.

Hours after the twin suicide blasts, an attack took place in the eastern province of Khost, which borders Pakistan, killing a BBC Afghan reporter, according to the broadcaster.

ISIL has claimed responsibility for the blasts in the capital city.

Journalists targeted

Most of the victims were media employees and NDS personnel, Afghanistan's TOLO news said on Twitter.

Najib Danish, the spokesman for the interior ministry, said the second suicide bomber appeared to have posed as a journalist and blew himself up where reporters and emergency health officials were standing.

The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said seven journalists had been killed and AFP news agency also confirmed that its chief photographer in Afghanistan, Shah Marai, was among the dead.

The 29-year-old BBC reporter Ahmad Shah was also among the victims of the attacks.

"It is with great sadness that the BBC can confirm the death of BBC Afghan reporter Ahmad Shah following an attack earlier today," BBC World Service director Jamie Angus said in a statement.

Shah was on his way home when he was shot dead by unknown gunmen in Khost Province, according to the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee.