Curfew imposed in Afghanistan as Taliban militants advance

KABUL: The Afghan government announced that it has imposed a night-time curfew in 31 provinces except Kabul, Panjshir and Nangarhar, in the wake of unabated Taliban attacks across the war-torn country. The night-time curfew will be effective between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m., TOLO News quoted the Ministry of Interior as saying late Saturday.

The new measure comes as the government forces continue to fight the Taliban in 21 provinces of the country. According to Radio Television of Afghanistan (RTA), the decision was made to check the infiltration of Taliban militants to provincial capitals, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to the statistics provided by the Afghan security agencies, the security forces have killed 262 Taliban fighters over the past 24 hours and wounded 176 more.

The Taliban has however, rejected the numbers.

Since the start of the withdrawal of the US-led foreign forces from Afghanistan early in May, the Taliban militants have intensified activities and seized more than 170 districts, according to reports.

Fierce clashes took place last week on the outskirts of the city of Kandahar. In response, the US launched airstrikes against militant positions in the area on July 22.

The Taliban slammed the US airstrikes as a violation of the Doha agreement, warning that it "would lead to consequences". (IANS)

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