Taliban Kill 26 Afghan Troops Near Kandahar

Taliban fighters have killed at least 26 Afghan soldiers in an attack on their base near the key southern city of Kandahar, the army says. A defense ministry spokesman said heavy fighting was continuing in the area and reinforcements had been summoned, the BBC reported. Thirteen soldiers were wounded in the overnight battle, the ministry said. The Taliban say they are in control of the base in Khakrez district —is a rural agrarian community with a population of more than 20,000 located in north-central Kandahar Province. It is the latest in a series of army defeats by the militants in recent months. Afghan intelligence sources had earlier told the BBC more than 40 soldiers were killed. One source said the bodies of 30 soldiers had been transferred to Kandahar. Ten soldiers managed to escape, the source said. Local residents spoke of hundreds of militants attacking the base from all sides in an attack lasting hours, AFP news agency reported. The Taliban say they killed more than 70 soldiers and captured seven in the fighting. The defense ministry statement, meanwhile, said Afghan troops “bravely resisted” the attack and killed or injured about 80 insurgents. There is no independent confirmation of either side’s claims.