Truck bomb kills nearly dozen Afghans in Helmand Province

At least 11 people have been killed after a bomber detonated an explosives-packed truck close to an Afghan check point in the southern province of Helmand, local Afghan officials say.

Omar Zwak, spokesman for the provincial governor, said on Thursday that the casualties were caused after the bomber rammed the explosive-laden truck into the post manned by pro-government militia members late on Wednesday. 

Seven soldiers and four civilians were killed in the attack, he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though officials blamed the Taliban, who have a heavy presence in the troubled region.

In another attack late Wednesday, a bomber was killed and six civilians were wounded in an explosion in the southeastern province of Khost.

In recent weeks, the Taliban have carried out near-daily attacks against Afghan forces across various parts of the country. 

Afghanistan sees the recent bloodshed against the backdrop of peace talks that commenced in the Qatari capital of Doha on September 12 following months of delay over a contentious prisoner swap between the two sides.

Dozens of Afghan soldiers have been killed in clashes with Taliban since peace talks began

Afghanistan sees the recent bloodshed against the backdrop of peace talks that commenced in Qatar.

The negotiations are the result of a deal between the Taliban and the United States signed in February, which also paved the way for the withdrawal of all foreign forces by May next year.

Under the deal with Washington, the Taliban agreed to stop their attacks on US-led foreign forces in return for the US withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and a prisoner swap with the government.

The Afghan government was a party neither to the negotiations nor to the deal, but it has been acting in accordance with its terms, including by agreeing to free the Taliban prisoners.

The ongoing intra-Afghan talks were expected to tackle thorny issues, including a permanent ceasefire, the rights of women and minorities, and the disarming of tens of thousands of Taliban militants and militias loyal to warlords. But the talks between the Afghans have become bogged down on processes and procedures.

The Taliban political spokesman, Mohammad Naeem, said on Thursday that negotiators had not met for the last two days. 

US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been trying to encourage the power-sharing talks between the Afghans, said on Wednesday he was heading to Doha to meet the negotiators.

Official data shows that Taliban bombings and other assaults have increased 70 percent since the militant group signed a deal with the United States in February. 

The Taliban have said they would not commit to a reduction in violence until the terms of a ceasefire are negotiated.

Taliban massacre 28 police officers in southern Afghanistan

At least 28 Afghan police officers are massacred by the Taliban militants at security checkpoints in southern Afghanistan.

The United States invaded Afghanistan and toppled a Taliban regime in 2001. 

American forces have since remained bogged down in Afghanistan through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump. Two decades later, it has had to negotiate its way out of the Afghan war.

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About 2,400 US soldiers have been killed, along with unknown numbers of Afghan troops and Taliban militants. More than 100,000 Afghans have been killed or injured since 2009, when the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan began documenting casualties.

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