QALA-E-NAW, Afghanistan, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-four Afghan army soldiers were killed and 11 others wounded after Taliban militants attacked defensive posts in the western province of Badghis on Friday, a local official confirmed.
"Hundreds of militants armed with guns and rocket-propelled grenades stormed security posts in Jar-e-Assyia in Bala Murghab district at early Friday morning. The fighting lasted for five hours, leaving the casualties," district chief Fazil Seddiq Seddiqi told Xinhua.
Several militants were also killed or wounded during the gun battle, but the number was not immediately known.
The militants took control of two security posts before the arrival of reinforcement.
The injured were shifted to an army camp for treatment.
The Bala Murghab district, which connects northern and western provinces, has been the scene of heavy clashes between security forces and militants since early March.
In early April, more than 40 Afghan soldiers were killed and several others wounded after Taliban attacked Bala Murghab and overran several government offices for days.
