KABUL: Taliban fighters attacked Afghan government forces overnight, and militant commanders said on Monday insurgency operations would go-ahead until they receive fresh instructions based on a deal with the United States to reduce violence in the country.
“Our leadership hasn’t conveyed any message about a ceasefire to us,” a Taliban commander in Helmand, a southern province that has seen some of the fiercest fighting.
Commanders in Paktika and Nangarhar - two other provinces regarded as strongholds for the Taliban – also said they would continue their attacks as planned.
On Sunday night, Taliban fighters attacked Afghan government forces manning a checkpoint in the northern province of Kunduz. According to a statement by Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, they killed 19 security personnel.
The Afghan defense ministry confirmed the attack in a statement but put the death toll at five. It also said retaliatory air strikes were conducted against the militants.
A Taliban spokesman also issued a statement on Monday saying a Afghan military helicopter had been shot down in Nimroz province, but an official there said the helicopter made an emergency landing and had not been attacked.
Despite the violence on the ground, a senior Taliban leader in Doha confirmed a deal with the United States is set to be signed by the end of February in a “signing ceremony” in Doha.
Leaders of the United Nations, European Union and Islamic nations and neighboring countries would be invited to the attend, Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy chief of the Taliban’s Doha office, was quoted as saying by Nunn Asia - a pro-Taliban website with strong links to the group’s leadership.
“Soon after signing the peace accord, the United States will release 5,000 of our prisoners and we will free 1,000 of theirs,” Hanafi said.
In body camera video released on Thursday by the Canton Police Department, officers are seen apprehending the man
Voter turnout around the halfway mark was 39%, an Election Commission spokesperson said
The U.N. has said nearly 25 million people, half of Sudan’s population, need aid and some 8 million have fled their...
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director, Wes Ball. — HollywoodLONDON: “Kingdom of the Planet of the...
The influx of weapons could improve Kyiv’s chances of averting a major Russian breakthrough in the east
The Perlmutters gave at least $21 million to America First Action Inc in 2020