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Clashes kill 26 security members, 31 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan

ISLAMABAD, Sept 17 (KUNA) -- At least 26 Afghan security force members and 31 Taliban rebels were killed and around 20 security members were wounded during clashes in different parts of Afghanistan, said officials on Thursday.
A spokesman for governor of eastern Nangarhar province, Attaullah Khogyani in a statement to the media said that at least 20 Afghan security forces, including public uprising forces, were killed and 15 others were wounded in Taliban attacks in the Hisarak and Shirzad districts of Nangarhar.
The Taliban attacked security checkpoints and clashed with security forces, said Khogyani, adding; "around 29 Taliban, including a local commander, were killed and 25 others were wounded." Meanwhile, at least three security forces were killed and eight others were wounded after the Taliban attacked a security checkpoint in Qadis district of western Badghis province, said Mohammad Haidari Sharifi; district governor on Thursday.
He said that his office had been damaged in the Taliban attack and also "two Taliban were killed and three others were wounded." In another incident of violence, three public uprising forces were killed and two others were wounded in Gezab district of the southern Uruzgan province after the Taliban attacked the district; said Zergai Ebadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
"The Taliban attacked the district from three directions and Sultan Mohammad, a commander of public uprising forces, and two of his sons were killed in the attack," said Ebadi. However, the Taliban group has not commented on the attacks.
Earlier last week, at least six Taliban fighters were killed and seven Afghan policemen were wounded in two different clashes in Afghanistanآ’s Herat and Kandahar provinces.
The clashes came at a time when intra-Afghan talks are underway between the delegation representing the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar.
But the two sides so far have not managed to finalize the procedures and methods for conducting the formal negotiations. (end) sbk.sd