Afghan officials: Taliban attacks kill 11 troops, policemen

AP  |  Kabul 

A new wave of attacks across killed at least 11 Afghan soldiers and policemen on Tuesday, officials said, the latest in a particularly deadly week of assaults by militants.

Two soldiers were wounded in that attack, in the district. Mehri said six fighters were killed and three others were wounded in the battle, which lasted several hours.

"Reinforcements have arrived and right now, the situation is under control," he added.

Earlier on Tuesday, insurgents killed at least four members of the local police force and wounded seven in eastern province.

The there targeted the local police security post in the province's district of Jaghatu, said Arif Noori, for the

He also said the gunbattle lasted several hours and that the used artillery and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesman, claimed responsibility for both the and the attacks in messages to the media. He said the took two Afghan soldiers captive in the attack but there was no immediate confirmation from the on that.

Later Tuesday, two policemen were killed and six soldiers were captured in attacks on their checkpoints in western province, said Mohammad Naser Nazari, a member of the provincial council.

He blamed the and said insurgents there stormed several police and military checkpoints in district before reinforcements arrived and the situation was brought under control.

It has been a particularly deadly week in

The on Tuesday raised the death toll from a horrific suicide bombing by the Islamic State group earlier this week to 60, after three more of the wounded had died in hospital.

The ministry also said the number of wounded from Sunday's attack, which targeted a voter registration center in Kabul, was now at 130 after all the data had been collected, including from private hospitals where the casualties were also taken after state hospitals became overwhelmed in the immediate aftermath of the bombing.

Also, on Monday, attacks in western killed 18 soldiers and policemen.

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First Published: Tue, April 24 2018. 15:00 IST