At least 17 suspected Taliban members died in a US drone strike in eastern Afghanistan, sources from the police and NATO told Efe news agency on Tuesday.The bombing occurred late Monday in Nangarhar province, while the insurgents were preparing an attack on Afghan security forces, according to regional police spokesperson Hazrat Husain Mashriqiwal."Seventeen insurgents, including their commander Daud, died in the bombing," Mashriqiwal said.NATO spokesperson Christopher Belcher confirmed the attack saying that "the United States launched precision bombing" on the Taliban during "military operations in Mohmanara district in Nangarhar province".
The attack comes after the Taliban, in a meeting with Afghan government representatives in Qatar over the weekend, demanded the exit of foreign troops and the release of Taliban leaders from UN sanctions as preconditions for peace negotiations in Afghanistan.At the end of 2014, NATO terminated its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan, making way for Operation Resolute Support, under which NATO maintains around 4,000 soldiers to train and support Afghan security forces.The US has about 11,000 soldiers in Afghanistan under its anti-terrorism combat mission, where they will remain until 2016, while Washington re-evaluates its withdrawal timeframe.