At least 12 Afghan security personnel dead in Taliban attack

At least 12 security personnel were killed in a suicide attack claimed by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday.

A Humvee packed with explosives rammed into a checkpoint at a government office in Nangarhar province’s Sherzad district, the governor’s office said in a statement.

Another attack was prevented as security forces intercepted an explosives-laden truck in the area, it added.

At least 12 security personnel have died and four more are injured, Ajmal Umar, deputy chairman of the provincial council, told Anadolu Agency.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents targeted “a bastion of government forces involved in security operations in the province.”

He claimed that up to 50 security personnel were killed and wounded in the attack.

The bombing came a day after the Taliban rejected Washington’s assertion that the insurgents are not honoring their commitments under the February 2020 peace accord by continuing attacks on security forces and civilians.

A day earlier, the Pentagon said President Joe Biden’s administration will not commit to a full drawdown of troops from Afghanistan by May this year because the Taliban are reneging on the deal with the US.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said it will be “very hard to see a specific way forward for the negotiated settlement” unless the Taliban keep their promise of renouncing terrorism.