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KABUL: At least over 40 Afghan security forces have been killed and over dozens other wounded after Taliban insurgents intensified attacking security forces across the country with days.
The Taliban stormed an army checkpoint in western Farah province, killing 20 soldiers and abducting two. In another attack carried out by Taliban suicide bomber targeting provincial police headquarter of Baghlan province, in which over 20 Afghan security forces killed and 55 others including 20 civilians received injures.
War has been intensified and this is relentless attacks by the Taliban insurgents in the wake of ongoing peace talks.
The sixth round of talks between the Taliban Doha office representatives and US peace envoy for Afghanistan continued for four days and were paused for a day to mark the start of the holy month.
Taliban Qatar office spokesman Sohail Shaheen on his Twitter account said that due to holiday on the first Ramazand their talks were suspended for a day. He said the talks would resume on Tuesday.
Moreover, these attacks also dashed hopes of some sort of truce during the holy month of Ramadan.
The overnight attack on the checkpoint in the Farah province’s Gulistan district triggered an hour-long gunbattle as Afghan troops tried to repel the attackers. The fate of the abducted soldiers was not immediately known, said provincial councilman Dadullah Qaneh.
Col. Qais Mangal, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, later confirmed the attack but could not give precise casualties figures.
“I can confirm that an army checkpoint has been attacked and there are casualties among soldiers,” he said, adding that reinforcements have been dispatched to the area.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yusouf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack.
Moreover, At least seven Taliban gunmen wearing police uniforms — some armed with suicide vests — rushed to police headquarter in Pul-i-Kumri, the capital of Baghlan province, killing 20 Afghan police men.
Deputy Provincial Health Directorate of Baghlan, Abdullah Haleem said that 66 injured people were brought to hospital, where 20 of them were dead. According to him the killed people were security forces.
“20 of 66 injured are civilians, including men, women, and children,” he added, putting health conditions of 14 critical.
Former President Hamid Karzai stressed the need for an immediate intra-Afghan talks to end the war in the country.
“The deadly night raid in Logar and suicide attacks in Khost and Baghlan inflicting heavy losses are condemnable in strongest words. As I have always said, an immediate end to the conflict and recommencing the intra-Afghan peace dialogue is the ardent desire of the Afghan people,” the former president tweeted.
Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah reacted over Baghlan act of terror. “The Taliban attack in Baghlan highlights the truth; a crime network has no cause and no conviction other than a vandal’s desire to violence and destruction. Never will we allow the crime network to return through the backdoor in the name of peace,” the Chief Executive tweeted.
Last week, 3,200 Afghans from across the country came under one umbrella of Jirga or grand assembly, where they issued resolution, asking the government of Afghanistan and Taliban to embrace ceasefire starting from first day of Ramadan.
But the Taliban rejected a cease-fire during Ramadan, saying their attacks will continue as there will be more rewards.
