18 soldiers die as Taliban storm Afghan army base

Kabul, February 24 

At least 23 persons were killed and more than a dozen wounded in multiple suicide bombings and attacks in Afghanistan today, officials said, the latest in a series of assaults in the war-torn country.

In the biggest attack, Taliban militants stormed an army base in the western province of Farah overnight, killing at least 18 soldiers.

“Last night a big group of militants attacked an army base in Bala Buluk district of Farah. Unfortunately, we lost 18 soldiers, two soldiers were wounded. We have sent more reinforcements to the area,” defence ministry spokesman Daulat Wazir said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. 

In another attack, a suicide bomber detonated his explosives near the diplomatic area of Kabul during the morning rush hour, killing at least three people and wounding five others, deputy interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.

A security source who requested not to be named said the explosion happened near a compound belonging to the National Directorate of Security (NDS), the Afghan intelligence agency. The NDS compound is located near the NATO headquarters and the US embassy.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack in Kabul, which in recent months has become one of the deadliest places in Afghanistan for civilians.

In two other attacks today in volatile southern Helmand province, suicide car bombs killed at least two soldiers and wounded more than a dozen others, officials said. The Taliban claimed both attacks in Helmand. — AFP