KABUL, April 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 23 Afghan security forces and 31 militants were killed and 46 people wounded during separate clashes in three Afghan provinces during Tuesday night, authorities said on Wednesday.
In northern Sari Pul province, 11 security force members were killed and 19 others wounded after Taliban militants stormed security checkpoints on outskirts of provincial capital Sari Pul city and neighboring Sozma Qala and Sangcharak districts, provincial government Spokesman Zabiullah Amani told Xinhua.
Several Taliban militants also sustained casualties based on the bloodstains on the clash site, Amani said, adding that one soldier was captured by the militants in Sozma Qala following the fighting.
In eastern Logar province, eight policemen were killed after militants attacked Aynak copper mine's security checkpoints, local media Tolo News TV reported, quoting an official from the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum.
Elsewhere, in southern Kandahar province, four police officers were killed and seven others wounded after security forces repelled Taliban attacks in Zhari, Spin Boldak and Mianshin districts, provincial police spokesman Jamal Barakzai told Xinhua.
Spokesman Barakzai also noted that 31 Taliban insurgents were killed and 20 militants wounded during the fighting in Kandahar.
Militants in Afghanistan have intensified their activities during the last weeks, even after a peace deal was signed between the United States and the Taliban in Doha and a joint declaration was issued by the U.S. side and the Afghan government in late February.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Afghanistan in mid February, Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has frequently called on the Taliban to agree on a ceasefire to facilitate peace talks and most importantly the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, but clashes continued in the conflict-ravaged nation. Enditem
