Taliban attack kills 6 Afghan troops

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban attacked an Afghan army checkpoint in eastern Laghman province, killing six soldiers and wounding five, the government said Monday.

The insurgents claimed responsibility for the assault, which took place Sunday night, just days after the U.S. special envoy in new talks with the Taliban in Qatar reemphasized the need for a reduction in violence.

The statement from the Afghan Defense Ministry said the troops pushed back the attackers, adding that the Taliban also suffered casualties but without providing specific figures.

Last week, U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad met with Taliban representatives in Doha, the capital of the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where the insurgents maintain a political office. He stressed the need for a cease-fire. After Doha, Khalilzad also visited Islamabad and New Delhi to discuss the Afghan peace process with Pakistani and Indian officials.

On Monday, four bombs, one placed under a garbage bin and the other three by the roadside, went off in northern Kabul, wounding four civilians, including a child, Afghan officials said.

The wounded child is a 12-year-old girl, Kabul police spokesman Ferdaws Faramarz said and added that the police are searching the area where the bombs struck.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings and their targets remained unknown. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State are active in Kabul and its surroundings and both frequently target the military and civilians.