Taliban kill 17 Afghan forces as US envoy visits Kabul

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan (AA) - The Taliban on Monday killed at least 17 Afghan soldiers in the country’s northern Badghes province as Washington’s top peace envoy visited the war-ravaged country, an official said.

Deputy provincial assembly chief Abdullah Afzali told Anadolu Agency that the insurgents stormed an Afghan National Army compound in the restive Bala Murghab district. He confirmed that 17 soldiers were killed and that the militants have taken control of the compound.

Bordering Turkmenistan, Badghes has recently witnessed a surge in Taliban assaults.

Taking responsibility for this attack as well as a similar strike in the southern Uruzgan province, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed claimed that more than 40 Afghan security forces have been killed.

In a Twitter post, he said the attackers had taken away with them a large cache of arms and ammunition following these assaults.

This comes as Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, reached Kabul as part of efforts to facilitate dialogue and negotiations for peace in Afghanistan.

In a meeting on Monday with various senior Afghan officials, Khalilzad said they discussed "the urgency of making progress on intra-Afghan dialogue."