18 Afghan soldiers killed in Taliban attack

Kabul, April 20 (IANS) Eighteen Afghan soldiers were killed and three others injured in a Taliban attack in Takhar province, an official confirmed on Monday.The attack started at midnight after dozens of Taliban militants launched an offensive on a district police station and a nearby military camp in Khwaja Ghar district, the provincial police spokesman told Xinhua news agency.The militants who came from mountains tried to overrun the district police station and seize the control of the district, but their plan was thwarted by the security forces.Several militants also sustained casualties based on the bloodstains on the clash site, the official noted.The Taliban militant group has not responded to the report so far.Violence decreased in Afghanistan after a peace deal was signed between the US and the Taliban in Qatar on February 29 as well as a joint declaration issued by the American side and the Afghan government.However, sporadic clashes and fighting occur in countryside as Taliban militants have been attempting to take territory and consolidate their positions.
--IANS ksk/