GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Six Afghan army soldiers were killed and three police officers wounded after Taliban militants ambushed their patrol in the country's eastern Ghazni province Sunday night, a provincial government spokesman confirmed on Monday.
"Armed militants engaged with a security forces' patrol in Khonyan locality of Qara Bagh district late Sunday night. Six army soldiers were martyred and three local police personnel wounded during the fighting," spokesman Harif Noori told Xinhua.
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.
Taliban militants, controlling parts of the mountainous province, use rugged terrains and mountains as hideouts and frequently launch hit-and-run attacks against security forces.
Militancy and counter-militancy traditionally get momentum in spring and summer, commonly known as fighting season in Afghanistan.
