Taliban kill 44 soldiers, arrest 40 others in Uruzgan

More than 44 members of Afghan army have been killed and some others wounded in a Taliban attack on an Afghan Army base in Uruzgan province.
Taliban stormed the army base in Chinarto district of the province on Saturday night and took control of the base after hours of fierce fighting.
According to reports, the militants, besides killing 44 Afghan army soldiers, arrested 40 cops and wounded a number of others. They also destroyed the newly constructed building for the district headquarters.
Police chief of the district Akhtar Mohammad said on Sunday that security forces were still under the siege of the militants, adding that reinforcements had not been sent despite constant calls.
The police chief claimed that dead bodies of the killed soldiers were lying on the battlefield under the burning sun.
“Clashes are still ongoing and security forces even don’t have food to eat,” Akhatr Mohammad claimed.
A local tribal elder confirmed to the BBC that around 40 army members had been killed.
Jan Mohammad said that fierce clashes were ongoing around the police headquarters of the district, adding that Taliban were closing in on the commandment.
Provincial officials, however, only confirm the fall of the army base, denying the account of district police chief about the casualties.
Mohammad Marouf Ahmadzai, spokesman for the provincial police department, said that only three soldiers were killed and as many others wounded.
This comes as Taliban killed at least 12 Afghan police in an attack on outposts in Laje Mangal district of Paktia province on Saturday night.
Taliban have escalated attacks against Afghan forces in recent months after a relative lull in their attacks in major cities and populated areas. Since a three-day Eid ceasefire, the group has not claimed responsibility for any major attacks in cities with high number of civilian casualties. It is believed that the militant group may further increase their attacks before potential formal peace talks with the Americans and the Afghan government.