The Taliban have killed 28 police and paramilitaries in fighting in a district in southern Afghanistan controlled by the government but which could fall into the hands of the insurgents, officials said Wednesday (September 23).
Read also: Afghanistan: towards a return of the Taliban to power
"
Several police stations had been under siege (...) for days, but last night the Taliban offered to some of these police officers to let them go home if they surrendered,
" Zelgai told AFP. Ebadi, the spokesperson for the province of Oruzgan, where the incident took place.
"
But having taken their weapons, the Taliban killed them all
," he added, noting losses among police officers and in a paramilitary unit.
The head of the provincial council of Oruzgan Amir Mohammad Barekzai confirmed this assessment, but not the course of events.
"
Significant fighting continues (...) near the police headquarters
" in the center of Gezab district, he added.
A third official source who requested anonymity reported 28 to 30 dead, she said three police officers managed to escape.
The Taliban also mentioned 28 dead among Afghan forces, but denied shooting them in cold blood, a war crime that could have implications for ongoing talks in Doha between the insurgents and the Kabul government.
"Unfounded Claims"
“
The enemy's claims that they were executed after their surrender are baseless.
The Mujahedin repeatedly asked them to lay down their arms and end hostilities, but they insisted on fighting,
”tweeted one of their spokespersons, Yusuf Ahmadi.
The Afghan interior minister declined to comment.
Fourteen Afghan policemen and soldiers had already been killed in the same battle on the night of Sunday to Monday.
Taliban and Afghan government negotiators have been meeting since September 12 in Qatar, where they are trying to find a way to end 19 years of joint war.
But after a promising start, talks are now moving slowly, with the two sides still not agreeing on an agenda, while further violence is reported in Afghanistan.
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