Nationwide Taliban attacks in Afghanistan have killed at least 23 security forces and four civilians today. In the northern province of Sar-e Pul, 11 security guards were killed in attacks on checkpoints and 19 others were injured, a spokesman for the provincial government said today.
The fighting with the militant Islamist Taliban continued for several hours. In the eastern province of Logar, eight security forces died who were ambushed near a copper mine on the way to defending checkpoints. Four police officers were also killed in an attack in the provincial capital Tarin Kut in the southern province of Urusgan. Several Taliban were also killed.
Bomb hidden on the roadside
In the southeastern province of Ghasni, four civilians died in the explosion of a roadside bomb. „The Taliban are responsible for this crime,“ Interior Ministry spokesman Tarik Arian wrote on Twitter.
At the end of the cold season, the Taliban usually start their spring offensive. So far, however, there has been no official announcement from the group. Dozens of soldiers were killed in Taliban attacks last weekend.
The United States signed an agreement with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar on February 29. It provides for a withdrawal of international troops and an exchange of prisoners and is intended to pave the way for peace talks within Afghanistan. The Kabul government had not been involved because the Taliban had previously refused to speak to them directly. The conflict in the country continues.
