At least 15 Afghan soldiers have been killed in an attack by the Taliban on a military base in Kandahar province.

Five others were injured in the assault on the facility in Shah Wali Kot district, defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Wazir told the BBC.

It comes four days after 10 Afghan soldiers were killed when Taliban militants stormed another base in the same area.

The Taliban said it had carried out the attack, AFP news agency reports.

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Last month, the Taliban announced the start of their "spring offensive" a week after killing at least 135 Afghan soldiers in a military compound near the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif.

Image copyright EPA Image caption Another military base in the area was attacked earlier this week

The group said it would use military alongside political tactics, and that its main target would be foreign forces.

The attacks in Kandahar follow raids on police outposts in central the central Zabul province on Sunday, which left at least 20 officers dead.

The US and other Nato allies are considering sending thousands more troops to back up the Afghan military as it battles the insurgency.

US combat operations against the Taliban officially ended in 2014, but special forces have continued to provide support to Afghan troops.

The Taliban is believed to control up to a third of Afghanistan, after gaining ground in the past two years.