Ten Afghan soldiers killed in Kandahar army base attack

Deadly attack, which left at least nine troops
wounded, marks another setback for NATO-
backed Afghan forces.

At least 10 Afghan soldiers have been killed in an attack
 on an army base in the southern province of Kandahar, according to defence officials.

The assault at Camp Achakzai in Shawali Kowt late
 on Monday came just a day after 20 Afghan policemen 
were killed when Taliban fighters stormed their outposts
 in the neighbouring province of Zabul.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the 
Kandahar attack.

"Ten brave army soldiers were martyred and nine 
others wounded. The wounded soldiers were taken to
hospital and they are in stable condition," the ministry said
 in a statement.

Dawlat Waziri, defence ministry spokesman, told the
 Reuters news agency that at least 12 attackers had 
been killed by government troops after several hours of fighting.

Surge in fighting

The attack marks another setback for NATO-backed
 Afghan forces. It comes just a month after the Taliban killed at least 135 soldiers in the northern province of Balkh in the deadliest attack on an Afghan military base since 2001.

During the Zabul attack early on Sunday, local officials 
made desperate calls to Afghan television stations to 
seek attention because they were unable to contact senior authorities for help, highlighting the disarray in security
 ranks.

Taliban fighters launched their annual "spring offensive"
 in late April, heralding a surge in fighting as the US tries to craft a new Afghan strategy and NATO considers sending more troops to break the stalemate against the resurgent militants.

US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis last month warned of
"another tough year" for security forces in Afghanistan.

The White House is considering sending thousands more

troops to break the deadlock.