At least ten Afghan soldiers were killed in an attack on Salma Dam by Taliban. (ANI Photo) At least ten Afghan soldiers were killed in an attack on Salma Dam by Taliban. (ANI Photo)

At least ten Afgan soldiers were killed in an attack by Taliban at Heart’s Salma Dam on Saturday. The dam was built by India last year. Salma Dam, a symbol of Afghan-India friendship, is a hydroelectric and irrigation dam project located on the Hari River in Chishti Sharif District of Herat Province in western Afghanistan.

According to reports, Taliban insurgents first stormed a check post in Chesht district of the province and managed to get away with most of the security forces’ weapons at the check post, before attacking the dam, a spokesman for provincial police chief, Gelani Farhad said. “Four Taliban insurgents were also killed in the clash with security forces,” Farhad said.

The Taliban have steadily expanded their reach across Afghanistan since US and international forces formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014, switching to a support and counterterrorism role. In an address Sunday marking the start of Eid al-Fitr, a major Muslim holiday, President Ashraf Ghani reiterated his call for the Taliban to return to peace talks.

More details awaited

Inputs from AP

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