KABUL: A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed truck near an Afghan military convoy on Monday, killing eight soldiers, the defense ministry said, in the latest attack claimed by the Taliban.
The attack, which took place in Sayed Abad district of Wardak province near the capital Kabul, also wounded nine soldiers, the ministry said in a statement.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast, saying the assailant had targeted a convoy of Afghan commandos.
In recent months, the Taliban have carried out near-daily attacks against Afghan forces despite agreeing to talks with Kabul aimed at ending the two-decade-long conflict.
Last week, the Taliban claimed a suicide attack on a rural office of Afghanistan’s spy agency which killed 11 security personnel and wounded dozens of people.
In the July 13 attack, the bomber detonated a device inside a car near the office of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in the northern city of Aybak.
Gunmen then stormed the building and clashed with security forces for hours before they were shot dead.
The Taliban and the Afghan government are currently involved in a prisoner exchange, after which peace talks are expected to begin.
Washington has pushed for the negotiations after entering into a landmark deal with the Taliban in February, which paves the way for pulling out all foreign forces from Afghanistan by May next year.

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