MAZAR-I-SHARIF – Taliban fighters killed nearly 60 members of Afghanistan’sbeleaguered security forces in a spate of attacks across the country’snorth, officials said Monday, as diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year warintensify.

Heavy fighting overnight in four provinces followed a wave of violenceacross the war-torn country in recent weeks that has left hundreds ofcivilians, police and soldiers dead.

After seizing a military base in Sar-e-Pul, Taliban fighters werethreatening the provincial capital in a situation that could result in“disaster” if reinforcements were not sent, the area’s police chief AbdulQayom Baqizoy warned.

Baqizoy compared the threat to the Taliban’s extraordinary raid last monthon the provincial capital of Ghazni — fighters held large parts of the citylocated just two hours from Kabul for days.

At least 17 security forces have been killed near Sar-e-Pul city aftermilitants seized a checkpoint in Sayyad district and burned it to theground, provincial governor Zahir Wahdat told journalists Monday.

Air support has been called in, he said. About 39 Taliban fighters havebeen killed and 14 wounded.

“The fighting is still ongoing near the city and the central government isgoing to send more reinforcements soon,” Wahdat said.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan’s north, the Taliban’s elite Red unit attackedseveral police posts in Kunduz, killing at least 19 officers and woundingaround 20, Dasht-e-Archi district chief Nasruddin Saadi told AFP.

Insurgents also raided two police checkpoints in Dara-e-Suf district ofSamangan province, killing 14 officers, northern Afghanistan policespokesman Sarwar Hussaini said.

In Jowzjan province hundreds of Taliban fighters stormed Khomab districtcentre, near Turkmenistan, killing eight security force members and seizingcontrol of government headquarters, provincial deputy police chief AbdulHafeez Khashi told AFP.

The increased violence comes as Afghan and international players ratchet upefforts to hold peace talks with the Taliban, which was toppled from powerby US-led forces in 2001.

US officials met with Taliban representatives in Qatar in July and there isspeculation the two sides will meet again this month, raising hopes forpeace.

On Sunday a suicide bomber blew himself up in Kabul during commemorationsfor famed resistance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, killing at least sevenpeople and wounding more than 20.

SITE Intelligence group said the local Islamic State group claimed theattack on IS’s propaganda channel Amaq.

The interior ministry would not respond to repeated requests from AFP fordetails about the latest violence.

Defence ministry spokesman Ghafoor Ahmad Jawed had his phone switched off.- APP/AFP