Staff at the girls school in Kapisa province said only 40 pupils out of more than 600 turned up on Wednesday.

BBC: Pupils boycott Afghanistan school

On Friday, a suicide bomber in a car attacked a Nato convoy in the strategic Kapisa province, killing at least five civilians and wounding 15.

BBC: Afghanistan: Suicide attack strikes market

" The Taliban last month said the man was released to Turkish representatives in the Sah Padar area of Tagab district, Kapisa province, as a "goodwill gesture.

WSJ: Taliban Capture Foreigners in Afghanistan

For many, the recent attack by 100 Taliban fighters in the province of Kapisa, a largely Tajik enclave 60 miles from Kabul, illustrates the strengthening hold of the group across Afghanistan.

NPR: Attacks Spark Fears of Taliban Defeating NATO

Among the investigations that have been blocked are those into Azimi, the bank executive who allegedly bought the car for Salehi, and Ghulam Ghaws Abubaker, a former governor of Kapisa Province, for allegedly colluding with the Taliban and extorting money from contractors.

NEWYORKER: The Afghan Bank Heist

The U.S.-led NATO force said Wednesday that Afghan and coalition forces killed 13 insurgents in joint operations that began a day earlier in eastern Kapisa and Nangarhar provinces close to where the Taliban are thought to have kidnapped a group of foreign civilians.

NPR: UN Warns Of 'Troubling Rise' In Afghan Violence