Parts of Lashkargah in Helmand, Faizabad in Badakhshan and the city of Kunduz in Kunduz province have witnessed attacks by the Taliban in the last few days amidst the ongoing peace talks that have faced delays over disputed points between both sides of the negotiations.
“The reason behind the war is that some soldiers have left their outposts without resistance,” Helmand provincial council member Attaullah Afghan said.
“The Taliban have presence on the outskirts of Kunduz city,” said Rabbani Rabbani, member of Kunduz provincial council. “There is a need for a large-scale operation to prevent Taliban attack on the city.”
Badakhshan police spokesman Sanaullah Rouhani said that the Afghan forces operation against the Taliban is ongoing in Yaftal-e-Bala district for the last seven days.
Statistics by security agencies reveal that 27 provinces have witnessed Taliban attacks and security incidents in the last 24 hours.
The provinces include Kabul, Laghman, Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, Paktia, Khost, Ghazni, Logar, Wardak, Paktika, Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Herat, Farah, Badghis, Ghor, Faryab, Jawzjan, Balkh, Helmand, Nimroz, Kunduz, Baghlan, Takhar, and Badakhshan.
“The defense and security forces of Afghanistan have defended the attacks under the active defense status and have foiled dozens of plans by the enemy, inflicting heavy casualty to them,” said Rohullah Ahmadzai, spokesman for Ministry of National Defense.
Meanwhile, former NDS chief Rahmatullah Nabil said that increase in violence by the Taliban is an attempt to leverage the peace talks.
“If we move forward with like this, we will weaken the system’s legitimacy day-by-day and will question it. We will also lose more areas,” Nabil said.
The Meshrano Jirga, the Afghan senate, in a statement on Sunday says that the attempts to withdraw foreign troops from Afghanistan and the continuation of violence are concerning and that Washington should remain committed to its joint declaration to the country.
“The two sides have responsibilities based on the agreement. The responsibility is that the US should equip and strengthen and support the Afghan forces,” Senate Speaker Fazl Hadi Muslimyar said.
Afghans said that they expected a reduction in violence with the start of the peace negotiations in Doha, but it has not happened so far.