Taliban attack kills 20 soldiers and police

The Taliban launched a brazen attack under the cover of darkness yesterday on an Afghan government compound in western Badghis province, killing at least 20 soldiers and policemen, officials said.

It was the latest attack by the Taliban who target Afghan forces on a daily basis even as they hold talks with a US peace envoy. Fighting continued into the day and early afternoon and officials expressed fears casualty tolls would be higher.

According to Mohammad Nasir Nazari, a provincial council member, the “massive attack” in Badghis took place before dawn, targeting the local government’s headquarters in the district of Bala.

The Taliban stormed all the security posts around the compound. The attack put the lives of some 600 security force members at risk, he added. Jamshid Shahabhi, a spokesman for the Badgis governor, said intense fighting was still under way. Taliban spokesman Qari Yousf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack.