Afghanistan: Seven security personnel killed, govt blames Taliban

Days after the end of the three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and Afghanistan government, seven members of the Afghan security forces were killed on Thursday. 

The latest attack which Kabul blamed on the Taliban dashed hopes of any sort of agreement between the militant group and the Afghanistan administration. 

Also read | Afghanistan wants truce extension as it begins freeing 900 Taliban prisoners

Taliban fighters attacked early on Thursday a checkpoint in Parwan, north of the capital, said Waheeda Shahkar, spokeswoman to the provincial governor.

Also read | Taliban announces three-day ceasefire during the holidays of Eid al-Fitr with government

He added that the Taliban also suffered casualties. 

District police chief Hussain Shah said Taliban fighters set fire to the checkpoint, in which five security force personnel were killed. Two more personnel were shot dead. 

So far, the Taliban has not commented on the attack. 

This comes after the Taliban, in a surprising development, extended a hand of peace by offering a ceasefire to the Afghan government over the Eid al-Fitr festival.

Afghan officials also in its part agreed on prisoner exchange, releasing 1,000 Taliban prisoners this week, and planning to free more in the coming days.

Before the ceasefire too, Kabul had freed nearly 1,000 Taliban captives, while the militant group released some 300 members of government forces. 

The Taliban and Afghan administration have so far not reached any sort of truce despite providing a glimmer of hopes here and then after the signing of a historic peace deal that aimed at withdrawing the US and its allies' forces and working to establish peace in the region.