An Afghan military helicopter crashed in the country’s central Wardak province, killing all nine people on board, officials said on Thursday.

According to a statement of the Afghan Ministry of Defence, the Mi-17 helicopter crash landed in Hesa-e Awal Behsud district, leaving four crew members and five members of the security forces dead.

An investigation was underway, the statement said.

According to local officials, the helicopter was en-route to evacuate a wounded soldier from the highly-contested province when the incident took place.

Meanwhile, four people were killed and nine others wounded in the capital Kabul in an explosion that targeted a minibus, according to Kabul police.

The vehicle belonged to the Ministry of Telecommunication and was carrying employees of other government departments as well, Kabul police chief spokesman, Ferdous Faramarz, said.

The incident has not been claimed by any group so far.

The incidents took place as a high-profile summit with the aim of finding a peaceful solution to the long-running conflict in Afghanistan was set to take place in Moscow on Thursday.

An official delegation from Kabul and the militant Taliban group was also expected to attend the conference in the Russian capital.

Peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan government representatives that started in September in Qatar have stalled in recent months, with no tangible progress. (dpa/NAN)