Taliban kills 26 soldiers in base attack

At least 26 Afghan soldiers died and 13 others sustained injuries when the Taliban staged an overnight attack on a security base in Kandahar province. Defense ministry spokesman Gen. Dawlat Waziri told Al Jazeera at least 21 other people went missing and another seven had been kidnapped. Kandahar is considered the Taliban’s spiritual heartland. The extremist group has increasingly attacked security forces this year. The group killed 24 civilians in a Monday explosion, which it later said was intended for intelligence officials.