Forces kill 80 insurgents: spokesman

At least 26 Afghan soldiers have been killed in a Taliban attack on a military base in southern Kandahar province, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday, the latest blow to the country’s struggling security forces.

The Afghan air force said it carried out strikes backing up soldiers on the ground during the hours-long attack on the base, which began late on Tuesday and ended in the early hours of Wednesday.

At least 13 soldiers were also wounded in the attack, Ministry spokesman General Dawlat Waziri said. The Afghan forces “bravely resisted”, he said, adding that they killed more than 80 insurgents.

The camp was located in the remote Karzali area of Khakrez district, near the border with restive Helmand, where the Taliban hold vast swathes of territory. “We conducted multiple airstrikes, killing dozens of them. Our helicopters transported wounded soldiers to hospitals in Kandahar,” said the provincial air force commander.

One senior army source said up to 12 soldiers were still missing following the assault.