Shafaqna Pakistan:At least 10 Afghan soldiers have been killed and several others wounded in a bomb attack in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand, the military says.
“The coward terrorists organized a bomb blast next to an army checkpoint in Sangin district at 04:30 a.m. local time today, and as a result 10 soldiers were martyred and four others wounded,” said a statement by the country’s national army on Saturday.
It added that 16 troopers were present at the base when the explosion occurred.
Afghanistan ‘s Tolo News television channel, citing some unnamed sources, reported that terrorists had dug a tunnel to the outpost, detonated some explosives and then attacked the installation.
Shortly after the deadly attack, the Taliban militant group claimed the responsibility for the blast at the outpost, raised the death toll to 26 soldiers.
The volatile province has been viewed as a Taliban hotbed in Afghanistan . [image: Car bomb kills 6 soldiers in Afghanistan] link The terror attack came just four days after a car bomb explosion killed 10 soldiers in Afghanistan’s northern province of Balkh, where Taliban militants are relatively active. link
Apart from bomb attacks and detonating explosive-ridden vehicles, Taliban militants often plant roadside bombs and landmines to target Afghan and foreign forces. The deadly weapons also inflict heavy casualties on civilians.
The country has been whipsawed by the longtime Taliban militancy and the rise of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.
Add to this the presence of foreign forces. The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 and overthrew a Taliban regime in power at the time. But US forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump.
Some 18 years on, Washington is seeking a truce with the militants, who now control or have influence in about half of Afghanistan’s territory.
Nearly 20,000 foreign troops, most of them Americans, are currently deployed in Afghanistan as part of a mission to purportedly train, assist, and advise Afghan security forces.