KABUL: The Taliban killed at least 291 Afghan security personnel over thepast week, a top government official said Monday, accusing the insurgentsof unleashing a wave of violence ahead of potential talks.
The past week was the “deadliest” in the country’s 19 years of conflict,said Javid Faisal, spokesman for the National Security Council, even as theinsurgents dismissed the latest figures.
The Taliban carried out 422 attacks in 32 provinces in the past week,killing 291 security force personnel and wounding 550 others, Faisal saidon Twitter.
“Taliban’s commitment to reduce violence is meaningless, and their actionsinconsistent with their rhetoric on peace,” he said.
The Taliban rejected the latest government figures.
“The enemy aims to hurt the peace process and intra-Afghan talks byreleasing such false reports,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesmanin Afghanistan, told *AFP*.
“We did have some attacks last week, but they were mostly in defence.”
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Violence had dropped across much of Afghanistan since the Taliban announceda three-day ceasefire on May 24 to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday, butofficials have accused the insurgents of stepping up attacks in recentweeks.
The latest government accusations come as Kabul and Taliban have signalledthat they were getting closer to launching much-delayed peace talks.
President Ashraf Ghani has vowed to complete a Taliban prisoner releasethat is a key condition to beginning the peace negotiations with theinsurgents aimed at ending nearly two decades of war.
The authorities have already released about 3,000 Taliban prisoners, andplan to further free 2,000 as stipulated in the insurgents’deal withWashington signed in February.
The Taliban have said they are ready for peace talks but only after therelease of the remaining 2,000 insurgents. – APP/AFP
