The Taliban staged a complex attack that killed at least 10 Afghan soldiers in the southern Helmand province, an Afghan official said Saturday.
A powerful explosion first hit an army checkpoint late Friday, followed by an hourslong gunbattle, said Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor.
The attack also wounded four soldiers, he said, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yusouf Ahmadi claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the insurgents also seized weapons and ammunition.
The insurgents have a strong presence in Helmand province, especially in Sangin district where the attack took place.
The Taliban have increased their attacks in recent days against Afghan army bases and checkpoints across different provinces.
A similar attack killed six Afghan soldiers on Thursday, when a suicide bomber detonated his car laden with explosives outside an army compound in the northern Balkh province.
Militants then stormed the compound. The Taliban also quickly claimed responsibility for that attack.
On Tuesday, another attack on a checkpoint in Balk province killed at least seven Afghan soldiers. At the time, the Taliban said they also captured four Afghan troops and seized weapons and ammunition.
According to AP, an American soldier was killed Monday in combat in northern Kunduz province.
The Taliban claimed they were behind a fatal roadside bombing that targeted US and Afghan forces in Kunduz. Taliban now control or hold sway over practically half of Afghanistan.
