A Taliban suicide bomber injure more than 18 others in the northern Balkh province and Monday killed at least three Afghan soldiers.

Afghan officials, citing initial reports from the scene, say a bus taking private of the Afghan National Army (ANA) was the target of the strike in the Dahdadi district.

Eyewitness told local reporters they saw at least 8 dead on the list of victims. Reports say there were three women who work in the army ranks in the province among the wounded.

Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a statement sent to reporters has claimed the insurgent group gave a much greater price and carried out the bombing.

He claimed the bomber boarded the bus just before it was readying to transport the ANA soldiers for their regular responsibilities and blew himself up.

Separately, a presidential palace guard was gunned down by unknown assailants in the eastern Nangarhar province. A

provincial government spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, says his mother was wounded and the security man was attacked inside his house.

The violence comes two days after Afghanistan, Pakistan, China as well as the United States declared that place could be taken by direct peace talks between Taliban representatives and Afghan government by the conclusion of the month.

Diplomats from the four nations met in Islamabad and agreed on a road map to market the Afghan peace discussions.

The Taliban is just not part of the four way dialogue and has rejected the weekend statement as “one sided affair” which would not produce any effects.

“Foreigners are continuing their war and killing innocent Afghans,” a Taliban official requesting anonymity told VOA, adding the only real option to end the war was for the foreign forces to withdraw from the country.

But the Commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, insisted there are no preconditions when it comes to talking about the peace process. Once they do that, then we could get to the table…

But should you continue to get violence against women and kids, against security forces, you have no future,” said General Campbell.