Afghanistan: Taliban Ambush on Police Convoy Kills 22 Policemen

On Sunday, a Taliban ambush on a police caravan at Farah province, Afghanistan, killed 22 policemen, according to a government official.

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The deputy provincial chief was among four people that were wounded, according to Dadullah Qaneh, a member of the provincial council in Farah.

On Nov. 23, the Taliban conducted another attack near an army mosque in the province of Khost, leaving close to 12 servicemen dead and 33 others injured.

"Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said 25 police, including senior commanders, had been killed and four vehicles were destroyed in the attack. Large quantities of weapons were captured," reported Reuters.

The U.S. government recently stated approximately 500 casualties a month are taking place, due to the ongoing conflict, which Kabul officials consider to be a conservative estimation. 

Since the withdrawal of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces in 2014, Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by Islamist militants.

Despite diplomatic efforts from external actors to end the 17-year war, mainly from Russia and the United States, the security situation has not shown signs of improvement.

The central government holds control of only 56 percent of Afghan territory, a decrease from 72 percent in 2015, according to the U.S. government.