Taliban kill 17 Afghans even as they 'welcome' peace push
Taliban militants who have been waging war on the Afghan government for more than a decade on Monday expressed a willingness to soften their position on a range of issues, an apparent shift that could eventually lead to peace talks.
But despite those positive signs following two days of informal talks in Qatar, a wave of Taliban attacks targeting police checkpoints late Sunday night in the remote Afghan province of Badakhshan, killed at least 16 policemen. The insurgents said in a statement to media that the assaults were part of their annual spring offensive, which began late last month. And on Monday morning, a Taliban suicide bomber struck a bus carrying government workers in the capital, Kabul, killing one person and wounding 13. The Taliban also claimed responsibility for that bombing.
