An Afghan district police chief and his three bodyguards were killed and five others were left critically injured after a series of bomb blasts rocked Kabul early Wednesday.

Reports suggest the explosions were caused by sticky bombs and remote explosive devices or timer bombs. No one claimed responsibility for the blasts yet.

There were three blasts in the Afghan capital, one of which targeted the police chief's vehicle.

In recent times, Afghanistan had seen a nationwide spike in bombings, targeted killings, and violence on the battlefield as peace negotiations in Qatar between the Taliban and the Afghan government had stalled.

The Islamic State group's local affiliate has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks, but many go unclaimed, with the government putting the blame on the Taliban. The insurgents have denied responsibility for most of the attacks.