Taliban Militants Kill Afghan Regional Police Chief In Latest Attack

Taliban militants have killed a provincial police chief and two others in a roadside bomb attack in Khost Province in Afghanistan’s southeast, officials said on May 8.

Khost police chief Sayed Ahmad Babazai was leading an operation against the militants in the western part of the province when he was hit by the bomb late on May 7, Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said.

Babazai’s secretary and one of his bodyguards were also killed in the explosion, local officials confirmed. Another policeman was severely wounded in the incident.

The Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.

It comes as the U.S. peace envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on May 7 that he had talked to Taliban leaders in Qatar about a “reduction in violence” and a range of other issues related to the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement signed in February.

The deal paves the way for the withdrawal of all international troops from Afghanistan within 14 months. In addition to an exchange of prisoners, it is intended to lead to peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.

According to the quarterly report of the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the Taliban has not launched any attacks on international troops since the agreement, but have increased attacks on Afghan government forces.

Based on reporting by dpa and Reuters