Afghan government troops repel Taliban offensive in Kandahar
Afghan security forces have repelled an overnight attack by the Taliban and killed at least 10 members of the militant group in the southern province of Kandahar.
Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said Sunday the fatalities took place in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar late Saturday and that the Taliban’s “attack was pushed back by the security forces.”
Security forces, he said, also destroyed four Taliban motorbikes.
In recent weeks, the Taliban have staged almost daily battlefield attacks across various parts of the war-ravaged country.
Last Thursday, the militants killed four civilians during clashes with Afghan forces in the central flood-hit Parwan province. At least one Afghan soldier was reportedly killed and two others were injured in the fierce fighting in the troubled region.
The spike in violence comes as talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government have stalled again in the wake of a controversial prisoner swap.
The exchange, part of a deal between the Taliban and the United States, was considered a prelude to peace talks that were initially due to begin between the militants and Kabul in March.
Under the deal with the US, the militant group agreed to stop its attacks on foreign forces in return for the US military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and the prisoner swap with the government.
The Afghan government is a party neither to the negotiations nor to the deal, but it has been acting in accordance with its terms, including by agreeing to free Taliban prisoners.
Official data shows bombings and other assaults by the Taliban have surged 70 percent since the militant group signed the deal with the United States in February.
Washington invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban-run government in 2001 on the pretext of fighting terrorism following the September 11 attacks in New York.
The militants control more lands than ever since the ouster, while many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops.
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