NANGARHAR/KABUL - Five Afghan policemen
died in a Taliban attack on a security checkpoint near a copper
mine on Tuesday, officials in the region said, a day after the
insurgents decided to resume operations against local forces.
A Taliban spokesman did not confirm or deny responsibility
for the attack in eastern Afghanistan when contacted by Reuters,
saying he was collecting information.
The militants had a reduction of violence arrangement in
place before the signing of a troop withdrawal agreement with
the United States in Doha on Saturday.
But on Monday they decided to end that for Afghan forces,
while still holding back on fighting American and other foreign
troops, according to sources.
Tuesday's "heavy clash" killing five Afghan officers took
place at a checkpoint at the Mes Aynak copper mine in Logar
province, said Deedar Lawang, a spokesman for Logar's provincial
governor.
Hasib Stanekzai, head of Logar provincial council, told
Reuters the policemen were soft targets during the early morning
attack as they had no heavy weapons.
A senior U.S. official said the attack was being
investigated.
A spokeswoman for Afghanistan's interior ministry said that
in 24 hours, the Taliban carried out 33 attacks against Afghan
forces in 16 provinces, killing six civilians. She did not say
how many Afghan security force members had died.
"Taliban should give up killing civilians, otherwise (Afghan
National Security forces) take action and eliminate them in the
defence of our people," said the spokeswoman Marwa Amini.
U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban from power in 2001.
But the nation has been in stalemate since, with Taliban
forces controlling some territory but unable to capture major
urban centres.
The weekend agreement envisages a full withdrawal of all
U.S. and coalition forces within 14 months, dependent on
security guarantees by the Taliban.
"If the announcement of resumption of violence by Taliban is
verified, this is against the spirit of the agreement just
signed in Doha," tweeted the European Union's special envoy for
Afghanistan, Roland Kobia.