KABUL, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Taliban outfit has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that rocked Nad Ali district in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province on Monday, which left eight soldiers dead.
Sohail Shaheen, the spokesman for Taliban's liaison office in Qatar's capital Doha, according to media reports written in his twitter account, "Talks between the U.S. and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (name of the ousted Taliban regime) resumed Saturday from where the discussions were left off" and would continue.
Both the U.S. and the Taliban outfit were near to ink a peace deal in September but President Donald Trump suspended the negotiation after a Taliban-led car bomb claimed 10 lives, including a U.S. soldier in Kabul on September 5.
In the suicide bombing that targeted an Afghan army checkpoint in Nad Ali district on Monday morning, according to a local official, eight soldiers were killed and two others went missing.
Zabihullah Majahid, who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit, claimed responsibility and said that a suicide bomber exploded his "explosive-laden truck inside the combined base of commandos and troops in Zerh Pul area of Nad Ali district, killing 52 security personnel and injuring several others."
Analysts believe that the militant group would intensify activities against government interests to secure the upper hand at any possible direct talks with Afghan government for achieving peace in the conflict-stricken country.
"No doubt, the armed insurgents would do their best to gain more grounds, to consolidate positions and finally demonstrates their power in efforts to garner media outlets' attention," political expert Abbadi told Xinhua.
Fighting has intensified in Afghanistan recently as more than 40 fighters including 11 security personnel, according to security officials, have been killed in the country over the past 24 hours.
