Taliban Attacks Checkpoints in Southern Afghanistan, Kills 28 Police

While the Afghan government and Taliban talk out the possibility of a ceasefire, both sides continue to launch attacks on one another. This latest attack was the Taliban moving against a series of police checkpoints in Uruzgan Province.

Checkpoints were overrun and a number of police were captured and disarmed by the Taliban. Taliban had tried to convince the police to surrender to them, and apparently executed the 28 police when they refused.

Indications are that the Taliban looted the police and the checkpoints. This is unsurprising, as the Taliban has often used checkpoint raids to secure equipment, especially arms and ammunition. After 19 years of war, the Taliban uses most of the same arms as the Afghan government and US forces, so they can be interchangeable.

Fighting in rural Afghanistan has continued apace across much of Afghanistan despite very important peace talks ongoing in Doha. This has led to pushes for a ceasefire, with both sides believing that the progress will only be made when they stop fighting one another.