Herat, January 16: Thirteen members of Afghan Local Police were killed in an attack by Taliban "infiltrators" in their outpost in Ghorian district of Herat province on Friday night, Security officials in Herat said on Saturday.

"At least 13 members of Afghan local police were killed in an attack by Taliban "infiltrators" in Ghorian district, Herat province, on Friday night, Herat police spokesman Abdul Ahad Walidaza said," tweeted TOLO News. The attack comes hours after the United States announced that it has reduced the number of its troops to 2,500 in Afghanistan as per the US-Taliban agreement signed in Doha last year in February. US President-Elect Joe Biden Announces Plan To Vaccinate 100 Million Americans in His First 100 Days in Office.

Meanwhile, an explosion happened near an Afghan forces facility in Daman district, Kandahar province, on Saturday morning. At least 14 members of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces were killed in Taliban attacks in Kunduz and Kandahar over the last 24 hours, sources and provincial council members said.

In the last few months, Afghanistan has witnessed a surge in violence despite the ongoing intra-Afghan peace talks to resolve the conflict in the country.

Taliban continues to carry out attacks on Afghan government targets, make territorial gains, and target Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) bases.