At least 3 soldiers killed in Taliban attack on checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan

At least three soldiers have been killed after Taliban militants launched an attack on a checkpoint in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Ghazni.

At least two other soldiers were injured in the gun battles that occurred in the early hours of Saturday, said Arif Noori, a spokesman for the provincial governor, later in the day.

He added that eight Taliban militants had been killed in the clashes and more than 10 others had been wounded.

A few hours after the ambush, the Taliban militant group claimed responsibility for the deadly ambush, claiming that its militants were able to overrun the checkpoint and seize weapons and ammunition.

Back on November 19, the militant outfit launched coordinated attacks on three checkpoints in the western province of Farah, killing six policemen and wounding eight others.

Taliban militants have intensified their attacks on security forces and foreign troops over the past two years. In October, the militants launched a number of deadly assaults on a number of checkpoints and military bases across the war-ravaged country, leaving over 100 soldiers dead and dozens others injured.

The Taliban, mostly based in the south and east of Afghanistan, has been behind many attacks in the north of the country in the recent past.

Afghanistan is engulfed by violence and many parts of the country remain plagued by militancy despite the presence of foreign troops. The United States and its NATO allies invaded the country as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror in 2001, which toppled a Taliban regime.

Over the past 16 years, the Taliban have been engaged in militancy across Afghanistan, killing and displacing government officials, security forces, and civilians.

The Takfiri Daesh terrorist group has also more recently gained a foothold in the crisis-hit country.

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