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Afghan army base: Death toll in Taliban attack passes 13 - BBC News
The number killed in a Taliban attack on an Afghan army base has risen to more than 130, most of them government soldiers.
Fighting lasted for several hours on Friday near the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Balkh province.
Insurgents targeted those leaving Friday prayers at the base's mosque and others in a canteen, the army said.
The Taliban said in a statement they had carried out the attack, using suicide bombers to breach defences.
A local source told the BBC the death toll could rise further.
At least 10 Taliban militants were killed in the fighting and one attacker was detained.
The Taliban fighters wore army uniforms and drove through military checkpoints before launching the raid, a military spokesman said.
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US military spokesman John Thomas described the attack as a "significant" strike, but he praised the Afghan commandos for bringing the "atrocity to an end".
Map
The base at Mazar-e-Sharif is home to the Afghan National Army's 209th Corps, responsible for providing security to most of northern Afghanistan, including Kunduz province - which has seen heavy recent fighting.
Several German and other foreign soldiers are reported to be garrisoned there.
Last month about 50 people were reported to have died when militants believed to be from the group known as Islamic State targeted patients and staff at a military hospital in Kabul with guns, grenades and knives.
Was the base not guarded ? How did they kill so many soldiers without being fired back at ?
The number killed in a Taliban attack on an Afghan army base has risen to more than 130, most of them government soldiers.
Fighting lasted for several hours on Friday near the city of Mazar-e-Sharif in northern Balkh province.
Insurgents targeted those leaving Friday prayers at the base's mosque and others in a canteen, the army said.
The Taliban said in a statement they had carried out the attack, using suicide bombers to breach defences.
A local source told the BBC the death toll could rise further.
At least 10 Taliban militants were killed in the fighting and one attacker was detained.
The Taliban fighters wore army uniforms and drove through military checkpoints before launching the raid, a military spokesman said.
Who are the Taliban?
Why Sangin's fall to the Taliban matters
Afghanistan's new 'Great Game'
US military spokesman John Thomas described the attack as a "significant" strike, but he praised the Afghan commandos for bringing the "atrocity to an end".
Map
The base at Mazar-e-Sharif is home to the Afghan National Army's 209th Corps, responsible for providing security to most of northern Afghanistan, including Kunduz province - which has seen heavy recent fighting.
Several German and other foreign soldiers are reported to be garrisoned there.
Last month about 50 people were reported to have died when militants believed to be from the group known as Islamic State targeted patients and staff at a military hospital in Kabul with guns, grenades and knives.
Was the base not guarded ? How did they kill so many soldiers without being fired back at ?
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