The Afghan Air Force carried out several strikes on Taliban positions on Saturday.
Kabul, Afghanistan:
The Afghan Air Force carried out multiple strikes on Taliban positions on Saturday, which killed more than 30 insurgent fighters, officials said, as President Ashraf Ghani again called for a ceasefire .
The Taliban claimed the strike killed nearly two dozen civilians, including women and children, in the latest incident that claimed many lives in Afghanistan, even as peace talks were underway in Qatar.
“This morning, Taliban fighters attacked (Afghan army) positions in … Khan Abad district in Kunduz province,” the defense ministry said in a statement on Twitter.
The military “intercepted the attack in accordance with” active defense “procedures,” the statement added, noting that more than 30 Taliban fighters, including two commanders, had been killed.
In a statement, the Taliban denied that their fighters were hit and said 23 civilians were killed.
The Defense Ministry said it was aware of the complaint and would investigate.
The director of the local hospital, Mohammad Naeem Mangal, told AFP that three dead civilians and three wounded had been brought to the facility.
The attack came shortly before Ghani again called for a humanitarian ceasefire “to protect our people, prevent violence and terrorist incidents and achieve a dignified and lasting peace.”
The insurgents have so far ignored those demands, though they have unilaterally called two short and separate truces this year ahead of the peace talks, which began a week ago in Doha.
Talks have progressed slowly so far, with both sides remaining undecided on an agenda.
