Taliban kill 13 in attack as peace talks falter

The Taliban stormed a police headquarters in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing 13 police and setting off a six-hour gunbattle, The Associated Press citied officials as saying.

The Interior Ministry said the attack in Puli Khumri, the capital of Baghlan Province, began at noon with a suicide car bomber striking the entrance to the compound and eight gunmen rushing in after the explosion. It said 13 police were killed and another 55 people, including 20 civilians, were wounded before the attackers were all killed.

A police official who was inside the compound during the attack said the attackers all wore suicide vests and that three of them detonated their payloads, while the other five were shot and killed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters.

Kalil Narmgo, a doctor at the main hospital in Puli Khumri, said more than 50 wounded people, both military and civilians, had been brought in, including "several" in critical condition.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack shortly after the incident.

In the capital, Kabul, a lawmaker was wounded and his wife was killed in a shooting attack late Saturday.

Police said on Sunday it was unclear if the shooting inside Mohammad Afzal Shamil's home was due to a personal dispute or a targeted attack. Shamil is a member of the upper house of parliament representing northeastern Takhar province.

Meanwhile, talks between the Taliban and the United States have become bogged down over the key issue of when foreign forces would leave Afghanistan, Agence France-Presse cited a Taliban spokesman as saying.

The Taliban and US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad have met repeatedly in the Qatari capital Doha in recent months in a bid to finally end Afghanistan's grueling war.

While Khalilzad in February sounded an optimistic tone, suggesting a deal was within reach by July, the two sides have hit a sticking point.

Before the US agrees to a withdrawal, it is demanding the Taliban put in place security guarantees, a cease-fire and other commitments.

But the Taliban insist they won't act until the US announces a withdrawal timeline.

In an interview with AFP, Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban's political spokesman, said in Doha that the two sides are trying "to narrow the differences and have an agreement on a timetable which is acceptable to both sides".

"That has not been achieved so far," Shaheen said.

Asked if that meant nothing would move forward until the US announced a withdrawal timetable, Shaheen said: "In principle, yes", adding that the issue might not be resolved in this round of talks.

"If we are not able to finalize it in this round, then ... peace would be far away rather than being closer," Shaheen said.

The US embassy in Kabul did not immediately comment, but Khalilzad has repeatedly stressed the troop withdrawal is only one issue in the talks.

For things to progress, he said the Taliban must ensure Afghanistan is never again used as a terrorist safe haven, implement a cease-fire, and speak to Afghan representatives.

Shaheen said the Taliban are ready to provide the US with the security guarantees it seeks.

It was not clear if the talks were to continue on Monday.

Agencies