Taliban forces kill 16 Afghan personnel in Nangarhar province

The Talibani forces have attacked the fortifications of the Afghan security forces located in the eastern province of Nangarhar killing 16 personnel and leaving dozens injured on September 11, Friday. As per reports, the Islamic radicals targeted the checkpoints of the Afghan army and police in the Gandumak area of Nangarhar's Khogyani district. The report citing a local source claimed that three security posts were destroyed due to the violent attack. The attack occurred just before the much talked about intra-Afghan peace dialogue which is expected to begin on Saturday after a mutual understanding to release prisoners by Kabul and the Taliban. 

READ: Taliban Agrees To Resume Intra-Afghan Peace Negotiations, Talks To Begin On September 12

Intra-Afghan peace dialogue

After months of anticipation, the Taliban and Afghanistan government decided on a start date for Intra-Afghan peace negotiations on Thursday, September 10. The Afghanistan peace talks are scheduled to begin on September 12 and the process is being considered a diplomatic breakthrough that could stabilize the war-torn country after nearly four decades of conflict. As per reports, the peace talks between the parties will take place in Qatar where the Taliban maintains a political office.

READ: Pompeo Says Afghan Negotiations Likely To Be 'contentious'

Following the announcement, US President Donald Trump announced that his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would be travelling to Qatar to attend the peace talks which will be held in the capital city of Doha. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi also conveyed the leader's best wishes for the negotiating team. Mike Pompeo, in a statement regarding the talks, stated that this was a historic opportunity to bring peace to Afghanistan and that the Afghan people have ‘carried the burden of war for too long’. These peace talks are a result of a deal signed between Washington and the Taliban back in February wherein the US agreed to move its troops out of Afghanistan while the Taliban and Afghanistan government would both release prisoners.

READ: US Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo To Attend Intra-Afghan Peace Talks In Qatar

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inputs/image: ANI