At least 64 Taliban fighters were killed and wounded in counterattacks by Afghan forces over the past 24 hours in Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul and Maidan Wardak provinces, the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoI) said on Friday as violence continues to rage on in multiple fronts across the country. 

Taliban so far has not commented on the figures provided by the ministry.  

Meanwhile, a car bomb attack happened near a security forces’ base in Maidan Wardak province. Four soldiers were wounded, according to security officials, who said reinforcements have been sent to help the troops at the base.  

Violence has continued to increase in the last few weeks amidst ongoing peace negotiations in Doha that are also faced with disagreements on its procedural rules. 

Civilians have also been affected by the recent surge in violence in the country. At least six civilians were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside mine in the city of Ferozkoh, the center of Ghor province in the west of Afghanistan, the Interior Affairs Ministry said. 

The Senate Speaker Fazl Hadi Muslimyar at an event in Kabul on Friday called on the Taliban to agree on a ceasefire.  

“Our opposition, the Taliban, should agree on a ceasefire if they call themselves Muslims and if they feel the pain of the Muslim nation of Afghanistan,” he said.  

“If there is a will for peace both from the government and the Taliban, it should not take more than two or three months. Why should it take years?” asked Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal, former Afghan ambassador to Pakistan.  

Zalmay Khalilzad, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, on Thursday said the current level of violence is a threat to the peace process. 

“Attacks have been on the rise in recent weeks - threatening the peace process and alarming the Afghan people and their regional and international supporters,” Khalilzad said.