At least eight election commission employees killed in south Afghanistan attack

KABUL: Taliban fighters killed eight election commission employees on Saturday night inside a district center in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, officials said on Sunday.

The employees of the Independent Election Commission were stationed at the government office in Maruf district to register voters when fighters of the hardline extremist group launched an attack.

Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Fighting between the Taliban and Afghan forces has intensified even as leaders of the Taliban and U.S. officials hold peace talks in Qatar to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan.

In the northern province of Takhar, over 600 villagers fled as Taliban fighters seized large areas of the province during heavy fighting in recent days, government officials said.

TALKS CONTINUE

The pace of talks between the United States and Taliban in Doha has sped up as Afghanistan heads for presidential elections on September 28.

Qatar’s government, which is mediating the peace process between the United States and the Taliban, on Sunday said the two sides discussed the withdrawal of foreign troops, preventing militants from using Afghanistan to harm the United States or other countries and a comprehensive ceasefire.

“They (U.S. and Taliban) also stressed the mutual desire of both sides to move quickly and make tangible progress,” the ministry said.

About 20,000 foreign troops, most of them American, are in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces. Some U.S. forces carry out counter-terrorism operations.

The Taliban wants a complete withdrawal of foreign forces before they hold talks with the Afghan government or declare a ceasefire.