KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- At least five Afghan soldiers were killed and six others wounded after Taliban militants attacked an army camp in Maywand district of southern Kandahar province Tuesday night, a local official said Wednesday.
"Afghan National Army personnel repelled Taliban militants armed with guns and rocket propelled grenades after the militants stormed the camp outside the district center overnight," a local official told Xinhua anonymously.
He said several militants were also killed and wounded during the gun battle, but their number could not be exactly specified as the militants evacuated their casualties after the fighting.
Mohammad Yahya, a spokesman of army Corps 205 Attal based in southern region, confirmed the clashes and the casualties of the army, saying further details would be shared with the media later in the day.
Security situation has been improving in Kandahar, the former stronghold of Taliban, over the past months, as security forces have conducted search and cordon operations across the province. But militants still attack government interests in the province.
The Afghan security forces have suffered increasing casualties since the beginning of 2015 when Afghan soldiers and police assumed full responsibilities of security from U.S. and NATO troops.
About 15 Afghan security force members were killed and nearly 40 others wounded during clashes elsewhere in the country in the past three days.
