Taliban attack kills 10 Afghan soldiers in Helmand

At least 10 members of the Afghan armed forces and four others sustained injuries after a bomb exploded near an army checkpoint in Sangin district of the southern Helmand province in the wee hours of Saturday, the army said.

By Representative Image At least 10 members of the Afghan armed forces and four others sustained injuries after a bomb exploded near an army checkpoint in Sangin district of the southern Helmand province in the wee hours of Saturday, the army said.

Around 16 army troops were stationed at the outpost, according to the statement cited by Tolo News. Sources said that the insurgents had dug a tunnel to the outpost, detonated some explosives and then attacked the installation.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack. This follows an attack in Balkh on early Tuesday morning that killed 10 armed forces personnel.

Helmand province, with Lashkar Gah as its capital, 555 km south of Kabul, has been regarded as a Taliban hotbed in the conflict-battered Afghanistan.