At least 13 people, including three civilians, have been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's northern province of Sar-e Pul, officials said on October 11.
The blast, which took place near the provincial capital of the same name on October 10, was followed by a heavy exchange of fire between the Taliban and the Afghan forces.
The incident lasted six hours. Three soldiers were wounded, a councilor and an anonymous source told dpa.
Sar-e Pul has always been a battlefield between the Taliban and the security forces due to its strategic location in the country's north. The Taliban has controlled large parts of the province for years now.
A provincial councilor, Aminullah Aydin, said on October 11 that at least 46 Afghan forces were killed, wounded or captured by the Taliban in various parts of the province over the past 48 hours.
The province was the first to fall to the Taliban in 2015 after the militants' regime collapsed in 2001.
Amid the ongoing bloodshed, talks continue between an Afghan government-led team and the militants' representatives in Doha, Qatar, in a bid to resolve the conflict.
However, after nearly a month of discussions, there has not been any apparent breakthrough.