Taliban ambush kills 25 Afghan security personnel

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan: At least 25 Afghan security force personnel were killed in an ambush blamed on the Taliban, officials said Wednesday, as spiralling violence imperils ongoing peace talks. Security forces were attacked overnight Tuesday in Takhar province and fighting was ongoing, said Jawad Hejri, a spokesman for the governor, who put the death toll so far at 25. “The Taliban had taken positions in the houses around the area. They ambushed our forces who were there for an operation against the enemy,” he said.