Four Afghan security force personnel were killed on Saturday when Taliban insurgents attacked a hotel, officials said, as violence continues across Afghanistan despite U.S.-led efforts to end the war.
The assault took place in Qala-i-Naw, the capital of the western province of Badghis, when attackers struck a commercial area housing the hotel and several shops in the small city. It started at around 12.40 p.m. when a group of men, some wearing suicide vests, stormed the area. “We had intelligence reports that suicide bombers were planning to attack Qala-i-Naw,” Badghis Governor Abdul Ghafoor Malikzai said. “The attackers took over a building near the Governor’s office and police headquarters”.
3 Attackers killed
The Defence Ministry said three attackers were killed and two more arrested.
Four members of the Afghan security forces were killed and 20 people wounded, including civilians, the Ministry said. The incident comes less than a week after Taliban officials were sitting face-to-face with U.S. negotiators in Doha in a bid to end Afghanistan’s war.
Both sides reported good progress, but daily carnage continues across Afghanistan and NATO on Saturday announced the death of a U.S. service member killed in a Taliban-claimed attack.
