Three Afghan soldiers guarding dam killed in attack

The incident happened when unknown gunmen attacked an outpost set up for the security of the Pashdan dam in Herat province. In the attack, four other security force members were also wounded, said an official of the National Water Affairs Regulations Authority.

No group has yet taken responsibility for the attack. Mohammad Arif Achakzai, who is the head of the Pashdan Dam, however, blamed the Taliban for the attack.

The Afghan security forces have chased the attackers, and in response to the attack, five insurgents of the Taliban have been killed, said Jailani Farhad, the spokesperson of the Herat governor.

In Afghanistan, dam construction workers, and also the forces guarding it, often come under attacks by insurgents. Last month, the Taliban had abducted 15 workers of the Pashdan dam. 

The dam generates 2 megawatts of electricity and irrigates 13,000 hectares of land in the country. Earlier, during the construction of the India-Afghan friendship dam in Herat province, many workers had been abducted; some of them were eventually killed.

Ever since the peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government started in September last year, the Taliban has repeatedly attacked and caused significant damage to the national infrastructure like highways, and roads. The group, though, denied their involvement in the destruction.