At least 16 Afghan soldiers and policemen were killed in a clash with the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, a local source told Revyuh.
The insurgents, according to the source, attacked a security forces facility in the Khogyani district.
The confrontation, which took place on the eve of the opening of inter-Afghan negotiations, also left several injured.
Despite a strong military presence by the US and its allies, Afghanistan is experiencing a situation of instability due to the attacks launched by the Taliban and, since 2015, the self-styled Islamic State.
At the end of last February, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement in Doha that, in addition to cutting the US military contingent in Afghanistan, stipulated the release of thousands of prisoners from both sides to pave the way for inter-agency dialogue.
However, the peace process was stalled for several months, mainly due to delays in the exchange of prisoners.
On August 9, the great assembly of the Afghan people, Loya Yirga, recommended to President Ashraf Ghani to release the last 400 prisoners from a list of 5,000 presented by the Taliban. These are insurgents accused of serious crimes, for which Ghani had left their liberation in the hands of the Loya Yirga.
The inter-Afghan negotiations are due to start in Doha on Saturday, September 12.
