Taliban kill 16 cops, 2 civilians

Kabul:taliban militants killed at least 16 Afghan police and two civilians in western Badghis province after their three-day ceasefire for the Eid al-fitr holiday ended at the weekend, officials said on Friday.

The Taliban resumed their campaign on Thursday after rejecting President Ashraf Ghani’s request to extend their ceasefire beyond Sunday.

On Wednesday, they killed at least 30 soldiers and captured a military base in Badghis.

A senior security official in Kabul said the Taliban were fighting to capture eight checkpoints in Badghis. On Thursday, they gained control over two checkpoints and ambushed arriving reinforcements. Haji Saleh Bek, governor of the Abkamari district, said 16 police were killed.

Another government official, Mohammad Naser Nazari, said the Taliban had planted a bomb on the body of a soldier that exploded when people attempted to retrieve the bodies. Two civilians were killed. No one claimed responsibility for the most recent attack, but the Taliban are active in Badghis and have repeatedly claimed attacks against Afghan security forces there.

In the Spin Boldak area of the southern province of Kandahar, on the border with Pakistan, the Taliban attacked a road construction company compound late on Thursday, a local government official said.

They abducted 13 engineers and 20 security GUARDS.REUTERS