Kabul: At least 42 civilians, including women and children, were killed and 105 others were wounded in the violence Taliban committed across 18 provinces in the past one week, said the National Security Council on Sunday.

The spokesman to the NSC, Javid Faisal, said 42 civilians were killed in 18 provinces in Taliban attacks. “Taliban has failed to deliver on promises of reducing violence against the Afghan people and working for peace,” he said.

The Taliban group has not commented on this.

Earlier, Faisal had accused the Taliban of misusing the 3-day ceasefire during Eid-al Fitr and pushing with their violent attacks. He had also said the Afghan security forces upheld the ceasefire agreement and preserved their defense position. But the Taliban did not reduce violence and continued with their orgiastic killing of Afghan civilians, he said.

He said the upsurge in Taliban attacks demonstrated the unwillingness of the Taliban leadership in bringing peace and ending the war.

It is expected that the Afghan government the Taliban militant group will hold the preliminary stages of intra-Afghan peace talks in Qatar in the coming weeks.

http://www.afghanistantimes.af/42-civilians-killed-by-taliban-in-past-week-nsc/