The Taliban, seeking to restore strict Islamic rule after their 2001 defeat by U.S.-led troops, did not immediately comment.
At least 30 Afghan security forces were killed by Taliban fighters on Wednesday in multiple attacks in western Afghanistan, days after the group ended its ceasefire.
“More than half of the fatalities came from the ambush and roadside bomb blasts that hit a reinforcement convoy,” Badghis provincial governor Abdul Qhafoor Malikzai was quoted as saying by AFP. Qhafoor added that other soldiers and police were killed when militants stormed their bases overnight.
As per AFP, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attacks in a WhatsApp message to journalists. Confirming the death toll to AFP, provincial council chief Abdul Aziz Bek said, “During the ceasefire the Taliban had sent informants to collect information about the bases and plan the attack.”