Afghanistan, air strike kills at least eight

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said an important breakthrough had been made in peace talks with the Taliban in recent days, and Defense Secretary Mark Esper said they had negotiated a proposal for a week-long reduction in violence.

But on Friday an air strike in Afghanistan killed at least eight people. A vehicle carrying civilians was targeted in the air strike in the eastern province of Nangarhar, according to residents, who added that among the eight killed was a child.

A spokesman for the provincial governor of Nangarhar confirmed the incident but not who the victims were.

This attack comes just as a deal to curb violence is on the verge of being implemented, though details of when it was set to begin were not clear. While U.S. and Taliban negotiators pressed on with meetings in Doha, Qatar, the Taliban and the Afghan government also reported fighting on the ground over the last 48 hours.

An air strike on Thursday evening killed a senior Taliban commander and eight others in northern Balkh province, the Afghan defense ministry said. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents had killed six Afghan soldiers, including two officers, in an attack on a checkpoint in northern Kunduz province.

SOURCE (RETUERS, AP, THE GUARDIAN)