Fourteen people including women and children were killed and another eight were injured in an airstrike in Afghanistan's Helmand. The victims were traveling in a vehicle to attend a wedding function when they were accidentally hit. At least 30 people were killed and 45 others suffered injuries in a raid conducted by the Afghan security forces last week. Civil casualties in Afghanistan have increased with Taliban suicide bombings and Afghan forces strike at terrorist hideouts. 

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The US deployed forces to curb Taliban

After 9/11 attacks, the US demanded the Taliban to hand over Osama Bin Laden, which the terrorist group denied. As a result, the US with its NATO allies launched the invasion code named Operation Enduring Freedom on October 7, 2001. They built military bases near major cities across the country. International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was later created by the United Nations Security Council to train Afghan National Security Forces to oversee military operations in the country so as to prevent any resurgence of the Taliban. Retaliating to this, the Taliban has been attacking Afghan forces, government facilities and any organization that they believe are in alliance with the US.

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US-Taliban Peace Talks

On October 2018, US diplomats opened up peace talks with Taliban representatives in Oman. These negotiations were built to once-secret meetings at Camp David. Yet this September, the Taliban attacked and killed a US soldier and 11 others. This led Trump to declare that the talks with the Taliban are 'dead'. Since then the Taliban has increased its offensive yet again in the war. 

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Taliban wishes to disrupt Afghan elections

As per reports, roughly 14,000 US troops remain in Afghanistan of which 2,400 US soldiers have died in the war. On September 16, two Taliban suicide bombers killed 48 people in attacks aimed at disrupting Afghanistan’s September 28 presidential elections, in which President Ashraf Ghani is seeking a second five-year term. The terrorist organisation has warned that its fighters will intensify their campaign against the Afghan government and foreign forces. They wish to dissuade people from voting in the September 28 election.

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(With inputs from ANI)