Zabul: At least 10 Afghan security forces members were killed on Friday morning in an ambush by the Taliban on the Zabul-Kandahar highway near the city of Qalat, in Zabul province, said Ata Jan Haq Bayan, head of Zabul's provincial council.

He said the Taliban has also suffered casualties in the clash.

Bayan added that the government forces went to the outskirts of the city of Qalat to assess security and they encountered a Taliban ambush at around 9 am this morning.

He added that two Humvee tanks of the Afghan forces “were destroyed” in the attack.

He called on the government to pay more attention to the security of the southern province.

A security source in Zabul said the attack left 15 policemen dead.

Zabul security officials have not commented on the incident so far.

The Taliban has not claimed responsibility for the attack.

Sources within the Afghan government told TOLOnews this week that the Taliban initiated on average 30 attacks on the Afghan forces each day after the Eid-ul-Fitr ceasefire.

According to the sources, the Afghan forces also suffered casualties as a result of these attacks.

This attack also comes as an airstrike by Afghan forces in Farah province in the west of the country on Thursday night killed 16 Taliban fighters, according to Farah police spokesman Mohibullah Mohib.

The Taliban attacked an outpost in Deh Yak village on the outskirts of Farah city prior to the airstrike, he said.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban-attack-zabul-leaves-10-soldiers-dead