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| Taliban attack kills dozens of soldiers in eastern Afghanistan | Taliban attack kills dozens of soldiers in eastern Afghanistan |
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| Taliban insurgents assaulted a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, leaving 19 soldiers dead and seven missing, officials said. It was the deadliest single incident for the Afghan army in at least a year. | Taliban insurgents assaulted a checkpoint in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, leaving 19 soldiers dead and seven missing, officials said. It was the deadliest single incident for the Afghan army in at least a year. |
| General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the defence ministry, said “hundreds” of foreign and Afghan insurgents were involved in the attack, which took place in the Ghazi Abad district of Kunar province in the early hours. | |
| He confirmed that 19 soldiers were dead and two injured following a four-hour gun battle between the insurgents and the army. An army support unit en route to assist the operation was also targeted by a suicide bomber, he said, but there were no military casualties. | He confirmed that 19 soldiers were dead and two injured following a four-hour gun battle between the insurgents and the army. An army support unit en route to assist the operation was also targeted by a suicide bomber, he said, but there were no military casualties. |
| An investigation and search and rescue operation was under way, Azimi said. | An investigation and search and rescue operation was under way, Azimi said. |
| Abdul Ghani Musamem, spokesman for the governor of Kunar Province, said seven soldiers were missing following the attack. It was not immediately clear if the soldiers had been kidnapped or had fled during the assault. | Abdul Ghani Musamem, spokesman for the governor of Kunar Province, said seven soldiers were missing following the attack. It was not immediately clear if the soldiers had been kidnapped or had fled during the assault. |
| President Hamid Karzai condemned the attack and postponed a planned trip to Sri Lanka. Karzai appeared to point a finger at Pakistan, calling on the government in Islamabad to take on the fight against terrorism. | |
| He said in a statement that Pakistan must take serious measures to destroy terrorist sanctuaries.Kunar lies along the border with Pakistan. It is a militant stronghold, and many Arab and other foreign insurgents are believed to operate there alongside the Afghan Taliban. | |
| Kabul has repeatedly accused Islamabad of providing the insurgents sanctuary on its territory following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. | |
| The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an emailed statement, saying that one of their insurgents was killed and two were wounded. | The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in an emailed statement, saying that one of their insurgents was killed and two were wounded. |
| The Taliban have escalated attacks in recent months as they try to take advantage of the withdrawal of foreign troops at the end of 2014. Casualties among Afghan troops have been rising significantly since they took the lead in the war against the Taliban. | The Taliban have escalated attacks in recent months as they try to take advantage of the withdrawal of foreign troops at the end of 2014. Casualties among Afghan troops have been rising significantly since they took the lead in the war against the Taliban. |
| Since the beginning of 2014, 84 Afghan army soldiers have been killed. | Since the beginning of 2014, 84 Afghan army soldiers have been killed. |
| Meanwhile the spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban said they had suspended “mediation” with the United States to exchange captive US soldier Bowe Bergdahl for five senior Taliban prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay. | Meanwhile the spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban said they had suspended “mediation” with the United States to exchange captive US soldier Bowe Bergdahl for five senior Taliban prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay. |
| In a terse emailed statement on Sunday, Zabihullah Mujahed blamed the “current complex political situation in the country” for the suspension of what was considered the best chance of securing Bergdahl’s freedom since his capture in 2009. It is the first official acknowledgement of indirect talks with the US to free Bergdahl. | In a terse emailed statement on Sunday, Zabihullah Mujahed blamed the “current complex political situation in the country” for the suspension of what was considered the best chance of securing Bergdahl’s freedom since his capture in 2009. It is the first official acknowledgement of indirect talks with the US to free Bergdahl. |
| Bergdahl, 27, of Hailey, Idaho, was last seen in a video released in December, footage seen as “proof of life” demanded by the United States. Bergdahl is believed to be held in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. | Bergdahl, 27, of Hailey, Idaho, was last seen in a video released in December, footage seen as “proof of life” demanded by the United States. Bergdahl is believed to be held in the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. |