Around 33 Taliban terrorists were killed during armed clashes with security forces in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, a local official confirmed on Saturday.

According to the 4th Infantry Brigade of the 201st Selab Corps, the Taliban attacked its security posts in the Hashim Khel area of the Sherzad district, after which the security forces launched a retaliatory operation.

Officials also said that the bodies of 16 terrorists, seven AK-47 assault rifles and a grenade launcher remained in the battle zone.

The Afghan government delegation and the Taliban are continuing the negotiations in Doha that may pave a way to political settlement after almost two decades of conflict in the country.

Despite the ongoing talks, Afghanistan is still engulfed in violence, with the Taliban staging attacks across the country and the law enforcement forces being engaged in operations against the Islamist group.

(With inputs from agencies)

Around 33 Taliban terrorists were killed during armed clashes with security forces in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, a local official confirmed on Saturday.

Around 33 Taliban terrorists were killed during armed clashes with security forces in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, a local official confirmed on Saturday. According to the 4th Infantry Brigade of the 201st Selab Corps, the Taliban attacked its security posts in the Hashim Khel area of the Sherzad district, after which the security forces launched a retaliatory operation. Officials also said that the bodies of 16 terrorists, seven AK-47 assault rifles and a grenade launcher remained in the battle zone. The Afghan government delegation and the Taliban are continuing the negotiations in Doha that may pave a way to political settlement after almost two decades of conflict in the country. Despite the ongoing talks, Afghanistan is still engulfed in violence, with the Taliban staging attacks across the country and the law enforcement forces being engaged in operations against the Islamist group. (With inputs from agencies)

33 Taliban terrorists killed in a security operation in east Afghanistan

Truck with explosives blows up near a court in the Afghan city of Gardez on Thursday. The explosion has killed at least five people. This attack comes two days after gunmen attacked a maternity ward in Kabul.&nbsp;

"A car bomb explosion took place near a military court in Gardez city, which is a populated area. Dozens of civilians are feared to be dead and wounded," said Tariq Arian, an interior ministry spokesman.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/newborn-babies-among-40-killed-as-two-terror-attacks-rock-afghanistan-forces-to-resume-offensive-operations-298326">Newborn babies among 40 killed as two terror attacks rock Afghanistan; forces to resume offensive operations</a>

A military spokesman, Emal Khan Momand said that the attack took place by a truck that had explosives in it, and the blast killed around five people and injured 14.&nbsp;

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but the interior ministry spokesperson has blamed it on Haqqani network. The Haqqani networks have ties with Taliban rebels and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group. They have rarely claimed responsibility for any attacks.&nbsp;

Earlier, two attacks took place in Kabul. The first terror attack was conducted on a 100-bed facility maternity hospital, took place in a Shia-populated area of Kabul and involved three gunmen.&nbsp;

Two newborn babies and several women were among 14 civilians killed and 15 injured in the attack.

More than 100 people were rescued during the hours-long attack on the hospital. The Dasht-e-Barchi area, where the hospital is located, is largely inhabited by the Shia Hazara community, which has been repeatedly targeted by Daesh.

The second strike was on a funeral procession for a local police chief which was taking place in a district of eastern Nangarhar province. It included lawmakers and provincial council members.&nbsp;

At least 26 people died and over 60 were injured in the suicide blast.

The attacker detonated his explosives in the middle of the ceremony, said Ataullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.

Truck with explosives blows up near a court in the Afghan city of Gardez on Thursday. The explosion has killed at least five people. This attack comes two days after gunmen attacked a maternity ward in Kabul.

Truck with explosives blows up near a court in the Afghan city of Gardez on Thursday. The explosion has killed at least five people. This attack comes two days after gunmen attacked a maternity ward in Kabul. "A car bomb explosion took place near a military court in Gardez city, which is a populated area. Dozens of civilians are feared to be dead and wounded," said Tariq Arian, an interior ministry spokesman. Also read: Newborn babies among 40 killed as two terror attacks rock Afghanistan; forces to resume offensive operations A military spokesman, Emal Khan Momand said that the attack took place by a truck that had explosives in it, and the blast killed around five people and injured 14. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but the interior ministry spokesperson has blamed it on Haqqani network. The Haqqani networks have ties with Taliban rebels and the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group. They have rarely claimed responsibility for any attacks. Earlier, two attacks took place in Kabul. The first terror attack was conducted on a 100-bed facility maternity hospital, took place in a Shia-populated area of Kabul and involved three gunmen. Two newborn babies and several women were among 14 civilians killed and 15 injured in the attack. More than 100 people were rescued during the hours-long attack on the hospital. The Dasht-e-Barchi area, where the hospital is located, is largely inhabited by the Shia Hazara community, which has been repeatedly targeted by Daesh. The second strike was on a funeral procession for a local police chief which was taking place in a district of eastern Nangarhar province. It included lawmakers and provincial council members. At least 26 people died and over 60 were injured in the suicide blast. The attacker detonated his explosives in the middle of the ceremony, said Ataullah Khogyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.

Truck packed with explosives detonates in Afghanistan, claims 5 lives injures 14

Afghan farmer Gulnar Malik had seen her share of hardships as war-ravaged her country for decades but nothing prepared the mother of five for the arrival of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indonesia-two-hurt-in-suspected-grenade-blast-near-presidential-palace-265828">Islamic State group</a>.

IS militants seized her village in the&nbsp;eastern&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;province of Nangarhar, bordering Pakistan, nearly five years ago, unleashing a tide of carnage and slaughter as they sought to expand their self-declared Syria and Iraq "caliphate" into&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/eu-uzbek-special-envoys-on-afghanistan-to-visit-india-next-week-265554">Afghanistan</a>.

The IS "fighters committed a lot of atrocities", Malik, 55, told AFP shortly&nbsp;after&nbsp;the Afghan army dislodged the jihadists from her home district of Achin, following weeks of house-to-house fighting, shelling and US airstrikes.

"They shot dead one of my children and injured another. My dead boy was trying to run away when they shot him," she recalled, adding that her husband had been detained and tortured over a three-week period.

Malik went home last month having spent years in the comparative safety of a nearby town after&nbsp;Afghan military officials announced that IS's Afghan branch, also known as IS in the Khorasan, or IS-K, had been completely defeated in Nangarhar.

While some local officials are not convinced that the loss is comprehensive, the Nangarhar gains if they hold would mark a major accomplishment for&nbsp;Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces.

The exact nature of links between IS in&nbsp;Afghanistan&nbsp;and the Middle&nbsp;East&nbsp;remains unclear, but IS-K first emerged in the region in 2014, largely made up of disaffected fighters from the Taliban and other jihadist groups in&nbsp;Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia.

IS-K fighters coalesced in the hilly district of Achin in Nangarhar in 2015, the first time they controlled territory inside&nbsp;Afghanistan.

They confounded early US predictions they would be defeated quickly, withstanding continual airstrikes, as well as battles with the rival Taliban.

They replenished their ranks using a mix of cash and extreme ideology spread inside Kabul's universities.

Afghan farmer Gulnar Malik had seen her share of hardships as war-ravaged her country for decades but nothing prepared the mother of five for the arrival of the Islamic State group.

Afghan farmer Gulnar Malik had seen her share of hardships as war-ravaged her country for decades but nothing prepared the mother of five for the arrival of the Islamic State group. IS militants seized her village in the eastern Afghanistan province of Nangarhar, bordering Pakistan, nearly five years ago, unleashing a tide of carnage and slaughter as they sought to expand their self-declared Syria and Iraq "caliphate" into Afghanistan. The IS "fighters committed a lot of atrocities", Malik, 55, told AFP shortly after the Afghan army dislodged the jihadists from her home district of Achin, following weeks of house-to-house fighting, shelling and US airstrikes. "They shot dead one of my children and injured another. My dead boy was trying to run away when they shot him," she recalled, adding that her husband had been detained and tortured over a three-week period. Malik went home last month having spent years in the comparative safety of a nearby town after Afghan military officials announced that IS's Afghan branch, also known as IS in the Khorasan, or IS-K, had been completely defeated in Nangarhar. While some local officials are not convinced that the loss is comprehensive, the Nangarhar gains if they hold would mark a major accomplishment for Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces. The exact nature of links between IS in Afghanistan and the Middle East remains unclear, but IS-K first emerged in the region in 2014, largely made up of disaffected fighters from the Taliban and other jihadist groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Central Asia. IS-K fighters coalesced in the hilly district of Achin in Nangarhar in 2015, the first time they controlled territory inside Afghanistan. They confounded early US predictions they would be defeated quickly, withstanding continual airstrikes, as well as battles with the rival Taliban. They replenished their ranks using a mix of cash and extreme ideology spread inside Kabul's universities.

Afghanistan: Residents return after Islamic State suffers losses in eastern region