The government crisis in Kabul has resolved after months, but violence in the country is increasing. Is the conflict threatening to escalate?
Kabul (dpa) - Numerous people have been killed again in a series of attacks in Afghanistan. In a suspected Taliban attack on checkpoints in the northern province of Tachar, at least nine pro-government militia officers were killed at night, two provincial politicians said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday evening, unknown people killed eleven believers in two attacks in mosques. In Parwan province, attackers surprised a group by breaking the fast every day and shot at least eight people. The Interior Ministry blamed the militant Islamic Taliban, but the group denied the fact. In Chost province, three people were killed and one child injured in a similar attack.
In the neighboring province of Kunduz, Afghan security forces fended off a complex Taliban attack on numerous positions around the provincial capital on Tuesday night. According to the Interior Ministry, dozens of Taliban fighters were killed. The Bundeswehr base was not affected, according to the operational command.
An air ambulance in the Tschahardara district of Kunduz province was largely destroyed on Monday, as Ehsanullah Fasli, head of the provincial health department, said. "It was a government agency, but its services were carried out by an aid agency in the district." Eight people were injured. Taliban were also treated there regularly because the outpatient center was open to everyone. Provincial politicians had initially denied that it was a clinic.
After a series of attacks, the Afghan armed forces are on the offensive again, the Taliban interpreted this as a declaration of war. On Tuesday, the UN mission in Afghanistan again called for a ceasefire and a reduction in violence. Numerous international actors welcomed the fact that the domestic political crisis in Kabul was resolved after months. However, they were also concerned about the ongoing violence and its impact on planned peace negotiations.
On February 29, the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban to phase out international troops. The government in Kabul was not involved because the Taliban refused to speak to it directly. The deal involves a prisoner exchange and is intended to pave the way for peace talks.
