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AT News Report
KABUL: Taliban militants have intensified attacks as people are preparing for the Eid festival following the end of the holy month of Ramazan.
The insurgents assaulted police office building in the Charchino district and an army base of the southern Urzugan province late Friday, using four humvee vehicles filled with explosives.
Mohammad Karim Karimi from provincial council said Saturday that eight police officers were killed and six wounded. “Also, 11 soldiers were killed,” said Karimi.
He added that the attackers were driven back by the air force attacks after a few hours controlling police office and army base.
Separately, Mohammad Khetab Khanjari, provincial police chief said that 32 attackers were killed in gunfire exchange.
He confirmed casualties to the police and soldiers, but did not provide details.
The insurgents attacked some police checkpoints in the Obe district of Herat province in the west.
Taher Khan, from national army in the west, said that six officers of the public protection unit were killed and 10 more injured.
In the north, there were clashes between security forces and Taliban fighters in the Kohestan district of Faryab province.
Mohammad Taher Rahmani, head of provincial council said that the clashes intensified in the district for the past two days.
Kabul city was not safe either as two suicide attacks erupted. On Friday morning, a car bomb targeted foreign troops’ convoy in which four civilians were killed and three wounded.
The US troops in Afghanistan said in a statement that their soldiers were targeted and four of them were injured.
Ahead of the attack, another suicide bomber killed six cadets of a military academy and wounded 16 more.
Taliban asserted responsibility for US convoy, while the military academy attack was claimed by the Daehs terrorist group.
Security forces come under attacks on daily basis. The defense ministry has reportedly decided not to announce the death toll of soldiers, but 50 of them are estimated to be killed every day.
The attacks come as Taliban sat recently with a group of political leaders from Kabul in Moscow as well as the US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in the Doha city of Qatar for the sixth round of negotiations.
The insurgents have frequently rejected requests for ceasefire, saying that no truce would be observed unless the US and other foreign soldiers leave Afghanistan.
The insurgents have also rejected negotiations with President Ghani’s government.
