Taliban kills at least 11 in two attacks

Taliban fighters on Tuesday killed at least 11 soldiers in two late-night attacks on security posts in western Afghanistan. Mohammad Naser Mehri, a spokesman for the governor of Farah province, confirmed on Wednesday the terrorists killed nine soldiers and injured four others when they stormed a security post on Tuesday night. Mehri said the attack ended after an intense four-hour gun battle, where the Afghan military responded with aircraft. At least 17 Taliban fighters died in the attack. In neighboring Herat province, another group of insurgents targeted an army post in the Kushki Kuhna district. Military spokesman Najibullah Najibi said the attack lasted several hours before the army pushed back the fighters. At least two soldiers died and five others sustained injures. The Taliban has stepped up attacks against Afghan security forces in recent weeks. An attack last Thursday in the southern Kandahar province killed more than 40 soldiers.