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Kabul:
The Taliban have killed 28 paramilitary policemen in preventing in southern Afghanistan, officers mentioned Wednesday, the newest losses in an ongoing siege of a government-controlled district that might tip into rebel palms.
One native official mentioned the Taliban executed the police after that they had surrendered, however the insurgents denied this and AFP was not instantly in a position to affirm the declare.
If confirmed, a mass taking pictures of dozens of captives would mark a grim new low level in Afghanistan’s latest violence, which has been worsening in latest weeks.
The incident occurred within the Gizab district of the southern province of Uruzgan, the place intense preventing has raged for days because the Taliban besiege outmanned and outgunned Afghan police and military outposts.
Zelgai Ebadi, a spokesman for the Uruzgan governor, mentioned Taliban fighters provided 28 native and nationwide police an opportunity to go residence in the event that they surrendered Tuesday evening.
“But after taking their guns, the Taliban killed them all,” Ebadi mentioned.
Provincial council head Amir Mohammad Barekzai confirmed the deaths and mentioned heavy preventing was ongoing.
Barekzai wouldn’t say if the lads had been killed earlier than or after surrendering.
A 3rd native official, talking on situation of anonymity, put the deaths at 28-30 police, including that three policemen managed to flee.
The inside ministry declined to touch upon the circumstances of the deaths.
In an announcement, the Taliban denied it had slaughtered the policemen after they surrendered.
“Enemy claims that they were executed after surrender are baseless. Mujahidin (Taliban fighters) repeatedly asked them to lay down arms & end hostility, but they insisted on fighting,” Taliban spokesman Yusuf Ahmadi mentioned on Twitter.
The 28 deaths come after at the very least 14 Afghan police and troopers had been killed throughout the identical battle in a single day Sunday-Monday.
Taliban and Afghan authorities negotiators are assembly in Doha, the place they’re looking for a option to finish 19 years of warfare.
A hopeful begin to the peace talks September 12 was instantly marred by recent violence throughout Afghanistan.
Negotiations are shifting slowly, with the 2 sides making an attempt to thrash out numerous parameters earlier than deciding an agenda.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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