Taliban attack city as envoy says peace deal is near

KABUL — The Taliban attacked a second Afghan city in as many days Sunday, killing several civilians and security forces even as Washington’s peace envoy said the U.S. and the militant group are “at the threshold of an agreement” to end America’s longest war.

The attack on Puli Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province, came hours after U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said he warned the Taliban during talks in Qatar that “violence like this must stop.” But he appeared determined to move forward on a deal that plans the withdrawal of some 14,000 remaining U.S. troops in exchange for Taliban guarantees that Afghanistan will not be used as base for global attacks.

Khalilzad arrived in Kabul on Sunday to brief the Afghan government on the deal, which is not yet final. “We are on the verge of ending the invasion and reaching a peaceful solution for Afghanistan,” said the Taliban spokesman in Qatar, Suhail Shaheen, with technical issues still under discussion.

The attacks are seen as strengthening the negotiating position of the Taliban, who control or hold sway over roughly half of Afghanistan and are at their strongest since their 2001 defeat by a U.S.led invasion. Some critics warn that the Taliban are merely waiting out the U.S. and that another U.S. goal in the talks, a ceasefire, likely will not happen as foreign troops leave.

About 20,000 U.S. and NATO troops are still in the country. The remaining U.S. troops train and support Afghan forces but also come to their aid with air strikes and counterterror operations.

Baghlan provincial council member Mabobullah Ghafari said he had seen the bodies of at least six members of the security forces and that the situation was worsening by the hour.

“I’m afraid the city will collapse if we don’t get reinforcements soon,” he said, adding that the Taliban had occupied some checkpoints with no resistance from security forces.

The assault on Puli Khumri, about 140 miles north of Kabul, came a day after the Taliban attacked Kunduz, one of Afghanistan’s largest cities, and killed at least 25 people. The interior ministry on Sunday said the Taliban had been cleared from Kunduz.