Sunday: 10 Killed in Security Incidents in 4 Provinces

At least ten people, including three civilians, were killed in five security incidents in Herat, Sar-e-Pul, Farah and Uruzgan provinces on Sunday, according to local officials.

Three police officers were killed in a roadside bomb explosion in the city of Herat on Sunday evening, health officials said. Security officials did not comment on the incident.

Three civilians, including two children, were killed in an explosion in Sozma Qala district in the northern province of Sar-e-Pul on Sunday, the 209 Army Corps spokesman Hanif Rezaee said.

Two border force members were killed in an attack by the Taliban at a market in the border town of Torghundi in Herat province on Sunday afternoon, provincial governor Waheed Qatali said.

The town shares a border with Turkmenistan and the forces were shopping in the market when the attack happened, he said.

One Taliban member was also killed and another was wounded in response by security forces, Qatali said.

Meanwhile, Abdul Kari, a prosecutor in Farah, was killed in an attack “by the Taliban” in the province on Sunday evening, the provincial governor Taj Mohammad Jahid said.

Abdul Karim was also a tribal elder in the province, he said.

One person was killed and another was wounded in a magnetic IED explosion that targeted a vehicle in the city of Tarinkot, Uruzgan province, on Sunday evening, the provincial governor’s office said, adding the vehicle was owned by the son of a tribal elder.

This comes as violence remains high in the country despite peace efforts. The high level of violence has affected the hopes for achieving peace through the reconciliation process.

The head of the Afghan intelligence agency, Ahmad Zia Saraj, at a session with MPs on Sunday said that Taliban attacks have increased by 24% following the signing of the Doha agreement last year, adding that the group has launched 20,600 attacks since last March.

Saraj said that the Taliban has not made any changes in their ideology and that the Turkey conference will not have the expected results.

According to Siraj, over 4,500 Taliban and Daesh members were arrested last solar year (March 2020 to March 2021) of which 221 were involved in targeted attacks and bombings. He said 1,500 of the incidents involved organized crime.