40 others have been injured; Residents say attack went on for hours and was launched by a 30-strong convoy carrying 'hundreds' of Taliban, who assaulted the base from multiple directions
The Taliban have been ramping up their campaign against government forces. Pic for representation/AFP
At least 40 Afghan soldiers were killed and 40 injured after the Taliban attacked the Afghan Army base in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan on Tuesday night, the Khaama Press reported.
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The militants "attacked an army camp in Karzali area of Khakrez district of Kandahar last night [Tuesday]," MoD spokesman General Dawlat Waziri said. Afghan soldiers "bravely resisted", he said, killing more than 80 insurgents. Residents in the area described an hours-long attack launched by a 30-strong convoy carrying "hundreds" of Taliban who assaulted the base from multiple directions.
The insurgents claimed the attack via their Twitter account. The resurgent Taliban have been ramping up their campaign against beleaguered government forces, underscoring rising insecurity in the war-torn country throughout the warmer weather fighting season. Afghan security forces, beset by killings, desertions and non-existent "ghost soldiers" on the payroll, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.
80
Insurgents killed by Afghan forces in Tuesday's attack
6.8K
Casualties among Afghan security forces in 2016
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