Taliban killed 291 forces in a week

The Taliban killed at least 291 Afghan security personnel over the past week, a top government official said yesterday, accusing the insurgents of unleashing a wave of violence ahead of potential talks. The Taliban carried out 422 attacks in 32 provinces in the past week, killing 291 security force personnel and wounding 550 others, he said on Twitter terming the past week as the "deadliest" in the country's 19 years of conflict.