A bdul Latif fainted when he saw the body lying on a mortuary table covered in blood, the throat torn apart. He had not known that his son was among those killed in the bombing.

“It took me a little while to understand who it was. I thought my son had been injured, not died... not like that. I tried to remain standing, but I started shaking, then I just blacked out, fell to the floor.”

His 31-year-old son, Abdul Jamil, was one of 63 people who died when a suicide bomber went to a wedding ceremony and blew himself up. The attack in Chardahi, in west Kabul, also injured 188 people. Isis claimed responsibility.

It was among a series of vicious attacks taking place across Afghanistan in a spike in violence, which has continued ever since.

The day after identifying Abdul Jamil at the morgue, Abdul Latif took his six-year-old grandson, Samir, to look at his father’s body.

Abdul Latif shows a picture of his late son, Abdul Jamil (Kim Sengupta/ The Independent)

“This may seem odd, but my father died when I too was just six, and people would not tell me for a long time what had happened to him”, he wanted to explain. “I didn’t want Samir to go through that. He deserved to know the truth. In this country, the way things are, he will see more dead bodies as he grows up, I fear so, that is the way things are.”

Decades of strife show no sign of ending. In the latest round of bloodshed, up to 40 people were reported to be killed on Sunday night when Afghan forces raided what they say was a bomb factory at Musa Qala, southern Helmand. Some of the deaths, they said, was due to the bomb-maker detonating a suicide vest.

The US military announced that 22 Taliban fighters were killed, with the province governor claiming six of them were foreigners. However, provincial councillor Abdul Majed Akhand maintained that the real figure was higher and that the majority of those killed were women and children at a wedding ceremony. Negotiations that were being held in Qatar between the US and the Taliban have ended without success.

The Afghan government was sidelined during the talks that took place between an American team headed by Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-American former ambassador to Kabul, and a Taliban delegation based in Doha, augmented by senior leaders from Pakistan. Afghan politicians and officials, including president Ashraf Ghani, as well as those from other countries including senior figures in the US, have warned that the draft agreement produced gave away far too much to the Taliban without getting anything like enough in return.

Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Show all 20 1 /20 Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Nooria*, 15 in the home her family has lived in for the past two years in Mazar-i Sharif She was forced to flee her home with her family after their town was attacked by armed groups. Nooria describes a rocket hitting her neighbours home killing many inside. They fled on foot with just the clothes on their backs and she now lives in Mazari Shariff where Save the Children have enrolled her in school and provide vocational training Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Nooria* hopes for a future with no war; "When they attacked our village, the rocket hit our neighbour's house and they all died. Our house then caught fire and we ran away. My friends who I used to play with - I still don't know if they are alive or if they are dead.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict “I'm hoping for a better future, to learn, to support my family and to get them out of this difficult life. And I'm hoping for a future where there is no war.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Naveed*, 16 at his family home in Mazar-i Sharif Naveed lost his leg when he stepped on a mine aged just 8-years-old. He was herding the family's sheep in the mountains near their home when he triggered a landmine Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict After months of medical treatment his right leg was eventually amputated. He received physiotherapy and a prosthetic leg from the International Committee for the Red Cross in Mazar Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Now enrolled in school, Naveed is being given vocational training by Save the Children. “For around a year I felt and dreamt that I still had my leg. But when I woke up and saw, there was no leg. Sometimes I’d feel with my hand to check and find it wasn't there.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict “If someone has loses their leg, it does not mean that they have lost their mind." Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "With the help of our minds we can continue to study, learn, and work to make the future of our families brighter.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Naveed and Mahboob*, 55 (Naveed's father) Several years ago Neveed's father, Mahboob, was brutally beaten with rifle butts by armed groups after, he says, he failed to provide food for them while they were stationed in the family's village. He suffered brain damage which affected the right side of his body, speech and his brain function Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Habiba*, 14, and Arezo*, 15 in a village outside Kabul Habiba and Arezo were injured with their mother three years ago in a suicide bombing in Kabul. Arezo is still traumatised from what she saw and has become completely withdrawn Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Arezo's younger sister Habiba cares for her, takes her to lessons and anywhere she wants to go. They are both in school through Save the Children's 'Steps towards Afghan girls' education success' (STAGES) programme, which helps the most marginalised girls get access to education, stay in school and learn. Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Habiba says: “When I woke up and I opened my eyes I saw lots of bodies and I thought I was not alive any more. It was horrible. I'll never forget that. Whenever there is a big sound she gets scared because she was traumatised by the sound she heard during the attack. I love my sister, and I help her with her lessons, I take her anywhere." Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "She's older than me but I feel like the older one because I support her. I hope for a better future for me and my sister.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Khalida*, 10 in a classroom in a village outside Kabul Two years ago Khalida lost her 18-year old brother when he was killed in an explosion in Kabul. She misses him every day and says the family are still carrying the grief of his loss Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict "Two years ago, my brother was going to Kabul when an explosion happened and he lost his life. We are still carrying the grief and are crying over him. At the time we were happy, everyone was happy. Now no-one is happy in the family. When I remember him, I cry and feel so bad. I hope for peace and that war will stop, and that nobody loses their brother” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict “I want to get education to become a teacher. I want to teach others who have never been to school” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Sema*,11 at her family home in Kabul Sema recalls coming home from her aunt's house and being told that her father had been killed in a suicide attack Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict Sema still thinks about him every second and likes to look at his prayer beads (Tisbeh) to remember him. They hang from the curtain in the family home. She loves school and wants to become a teacher one day. Sema says she wants peace in her country to stop other children losing their fathers. “We still have lots of his belongings, like his car, his clothes, his watch, his shoes. Whenever we see them we cry. He gave us all so much love every moment and he is on our minds. I want for the powerful people around the world to stop the war and bring peace, because I don't want other children to lose their fathers.” Andrew Quilty/Save the Children Afghanistan war: lives of children devastated by the endless conflict “I want to become a teacher to serve the country and I don't want any girls to be illiterate. I want to teach all the girls, so they have access to education.” *Names have been changed to protect identities Andrew Quilty/Save the Children

But Donald Trump, the US president, desperate to bring the troops home before the US elections next year, appeared to have given the green light for a settlement. However, Mr Trump declared earlier this month that the talks were over after an American soldier was killed in a blast. Taliban bombings had continued without pause during the talks, but the victims have overwhelmingly been Afghan and did not seem to impact on the US president’s decision making process.

On 16 August, Mr Trump tweeted: “Just completed a very good meeting on Afghanistan. Many on the opposite side of this 19 year war, and us, are looking to make a deal – if possible!”

Around 110 people had been killed in the previous 36 hours, according to figures from the BBC and Afghan monitoring groups. The death toll for the month stood at 74 a day on average, and the lethal violence has continued, with 112 killed in the last seven days.

The attack on the wedding in Chardahi, the day after Mr Trump’s tweet, was also sectarian, taking place in a largely Shia area. Abdul Jamil was a professional musician who played in a band that performed at marriage ceremonies. He had, however, gone to that party as a guest.

“I heard that he was right next to the stage when this man blew up the bomb. A friend, a fellow band member he was with died instantly, another one nine days later. I had been told that Abdul Jamil had a leg broken, so that’s why it was such a shock when I saw him...” Abdul Latif’s voice faded away as he put his head in his hands, then he apologised for crying.

Damaged cars and ambulances at the site of a suicide attack in Zabul earlier this month (AP)

Abdul Jamil was the main breadwinner for his wife, three children and parents. He brought home 30,000 Afghanis (£308) a month. His father, a school caretaker, earns 5,000 Afghanis.

“It is hard, we have to think about every coin we spend, on what we can afford to eat, to make sure we spend on the children everything we can,” he said.

“It was such a waste, what happened. We loved our son, everyone liked him, and then he was killed by a man who did not even know him. But that is what happens throughout Afghanistan, families suffering. We now get worried if we can’t find our children or if they are away for a long time, We want them to have a good future, but we are worried about them.”

Samir, a friendly, polite boy, had returned from school while his grandfather was speaking. His favourite subject, he said, was English, eagerly demonstrating this by writing the alphabet and a couple of sentences. He wants to be a doctor, he said, to “help people who are hurt”.

Houses in ruins after the Green Village truck bomb explosion (Aleem Agha/The Independent)

The Taliban position on education, in any future government they are part of or run, is that they are all for it as long the contents are within Muslim tenets. Classes will be segregated between boys and girls, men and women, at all levels. Teachers, however, have been murdered by the Taliban during the years of insurgency on allegations of introducing un-Islamic views into the classroom and, on occasions, of being spies.

Girls’ schools have been targeted, including two burned down in Logar four months ago for employing male teachers. Sixty-two schools are now shut in Logar, 29 in Takhar and 22 in Kunduz. Some of the closures, explained the Taliban, are because they were due to be used as polling centres in the election.

While all “armed invaders” must leave the country, the Talibs – meaning Taliban members – have declared they would welcome foreign aid and engage in international diplomacy. But attacks have continued to target foreign civilians.

Earlier this month, just hours after Mr Khalilzad showed a draft agreement on the Doha talks to President Ghani, a truck bomb exploded outside the Green Village in the outskirts of Kabul, followed by gunmen bursting into the compound where most of the residents are from abroad. Sixteen people were killed, six of them foreign, and 119 wounded.

‘I thought it was a bomb from a plane’: Mujib Rahman spent a week in hospital after sustaining injuries in the the truck bomb blast (Aleem Agha/The Independent)

Five of the attackers were killed in firefights, 400 residents evacuated. A number of Western countries pulled out their personnel from Afghanistan in the aftermath.

Taliban spokesman Zabibullah Mujahid said: “We understand that peace talks are going on...But they must also understand that we are not weak and if we enter into talks, we enter from a strong position. They need to realise they can’t stop the Taliban.”

Mujib Rahman was watching television at his home across the road when the suicide bomber detonated the truck bomb at around 10 in the evening. “It was so loud that I thought it was a bomb from a plane. There was smoke and dust everywhere. I was thrown across the room and then became unconscious.”

Mujib sustained injuries to his chest and right hand from the shrapnel and flying glass and was kept in hospital for a week. He has returned to his job, driving a three-wheeled auto-rickshaw, or zaranj, but had to stop after a few hours a day because of pain. “I suppose I should think that I am lucky I did not die, so many others did that day. But this can happen again, you cannot plan anything much for the future, we don’t know what’s going to happen” he said.

Late-night Taliban suicide attack in Kabul hours after US agrees deal to withdraw 5,000 troops from Afghanistan

Mujib’s 55-year-old father Ainuddin – who like many Afghans uses one name – said that schools had been shut early and children sent home because, the teachers said, a bombing was expected in the area. “I told my family and others to sleep outside the house. But there have been so many bombs in Kabul recently, they did not want to listen” he recalled.

“And then when nothing happened during the day, we thought it was safe. There have been problems with Green Village before because there are foreigners there.”

Angry locals held a march the next day that quickly turned to violence, with authorities blaming insurgent agent provocateurs for the trouble. The police opened fire in response injuring three people who needed hospital treatment, according to locals. Some Afghans hold that despite all that’s going on, it is pointless being too pessimistic.

Ahmed Orakzai, who was just 200m away from a bomb in Kabul last week that killed 22 people, said: “If people have the money they can go abroad or some try the stupid smuggling route to leave. But most people have no choice but to stay, it is our country, we must do the best we can.”

The 38-year-old businessman continued: “We have an election coming and everyone should take part. We are glad that Trump isn’t just pulling his soldiers out, then the Taliban would really have won. Our forces are doing most of fighting now and just need the Americans to provide things like air [support], which is necessary.

“The west knows that it played a part in putting us where we are today, it’s in the history, so they bear some responsibility. The Americans need to stay for just a bit longer, not too long. We know it’s costing them money, but it is us who are doing most of the dying.”