At least 23 members of the local army have been killed in an insider attack conducted by a number of Taliban infiltrators in the army ranking in southern Ghazni province, Afghan officials confirmed on Saturday.
A security source, who wished to go unnamed, has told Afghanistan Times that the incident took place in Lewani Bazaar village of Qarabagh, where nine members of Taliban infiltrators, working in army ranks have opened fire on the local army personnel.
According to the source, after seizing the weapons and military vehicles, the attackers have joined the Taliban. But, spokesman for the ministry of defence, Fawad Aman has put the death toll of the army personnel to nine.
However, Ghazni Provincial Council Member, Ammanullah Kamran has said at least 23 personnel of the local army have been martyred in the attack. ‘The killers have links with Taliban,’ he added.
The Taliban group has yet to comment in connection with thie insider attack. The insider attacks have often posed massive casualties on Afghan and US forces in the past. Some experts believe that Afghan military officials have so far been failed to prevent the infiltration of the militants groups in the military ranking.
Such attacks, sometimes referred to as "green on green," are a constant threat in the war-torn country for international and Afghan forces alike.Aman denied a report from a member of Ghazni's provincial council that 23 Afghan security forces had been killed.
The Taliban, meanwhile, claimed they had overrun an "enemy base" in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni province and killed dozens of security forces.
Friday's attack underscores the ongoing dangers Afghan and allied forces face from Taliban fighters pretending to be loyal to the government.
On July 29, an Afghan soldier killed two US troops as they were visiting an Afghan army base in Kandahar.
That came two weeks after another Afghan soldier shot and killed an influential Afghan army colonel while he was conducting a security assessment in Ghazni province.
The continued violence comes as the US and the Taliban hold on-again, off-again talks aimed at ending America´s longest war.
Ten civilians, including four women and a child, were killed when their vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Friday.
The explosion happened in the volatile district of Jaghatu in Ghazni province after the US and Taliban paused ongoing talks on Thursday
"Unfortunately, in the explosion 10 people, including four women and a child, were killed," Ghazni provincial governor spokesman Aref Noori told AFP on Saturday.
All the victims of the blast were civilians, he added, saying six others were wounded.
Marwa Amini, deputy spokeswoman for the interior ministry in Kabul, confirmed the blast and toll.
There was no claim of responsibility for the explosion.
Earlier this week the Taliban launched an attack near Bagram, a major American airbase.
Insurgents often use roadside bombs and landmines to target Afghan security forces, however, the lethal weapons also inflict heavy casualties on civilians.
The explosion comes just hours after Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said insurgent leaders had held "positive talks" with a US delegation in Doha, adding the two sides planned to restart talks after a few days.
Years of conflict have left Afghanistan strewn with landmines, unexploded mortars, rockets and homemade bombs -- and many are picked up by curious children.
Last month, 15 civilians including eight children were killed when their vehicle hit a land mine in northern Kunduz province.
