Afghanistan: 13 police officials killed in attack on checkpoint

Afghan officials blame the Taliban for the attack that took place in the Wazirabad area of Pol-e-Khumri city.

At least 13 Afghan police officers were killed in an attack on their checkpoint in Afghanistan’s northern province of Baghlan, officials said on Wednesday.

Another three policemen were wounded in the overnight attack that took place in the Wazirabad area of Pol-e-Khumri city, provincial councillors Firuzuddin Aimaq and Shamsulhaq Barakzai told dpa news agency.

Aimaq said an armoured tank and several police vehicles were torched during the fighting.

Afghan officials have blamed the Taliban for carrying out the attack.

The armed group has not commented on the incident yet.

Taliban fighters were also said to have carried out attacks against government forces in the country’s southern province of Uruzgan.

Provincial governor spokesperson Ahmad Shah Sahel and provincial councillor Hayatullah Fazly said the attacks took place in the Dehrawood district.
Afghan peace talks to resume early January

The Afghan government and the Taliban have been holding peace talks for more than two months aimed at ending decades of war – but the country’s brutal conflict continues.

The talks, which were launched in September in Qatar following a landmark United States-Taliban agreement reached in February, were suspended and will resume on January 5.

On Monday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said he hoped the talks would continue in Afghanistan.

Since the beginning of the talks, both parties have reported initial progress which was widely welcomed.

The US agreed to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for security guarantees and a commitment from the Taliban to hold talks with the government.