The Taliban have launched a major attack on an Afghan military compound in central Maidan Wardak province, officials have said, with some putting the death toll at more than 100 people.

Monday’s incident at a campus of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) is the latest in a series of deadly attacks in recent months by the Taliban, which has seized control of about half of Afghanistan.

The Afghan authorities said the attack started on Monday morning, when a US-made armoured Humvee vehicle was driven into the compound and blown up. Gunmen also opened fire, before being killed by security forces.

Government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have given differing estimates of the death toll. One said it could be as high as 126 people and another said yet more were thought to have been wounded. “Eight special commandos are among the dead,” said a senior member of Kabul’s defence ministry. An official from the Afghan public health ministry said the total of killed and wounded could be about 140 people.

However, others offered a more conservative estimate. A senior NDS official in Kabul said at least 50 people were killed or wounded. Abdurrahman Mangal, a spokesman for the provincial governor in Maidan Wardak, said 12 people were killed and 12 were injured when the car bomb exploded near the Afghan special forces unit.

US army chief says death toll of Afghan security forces is unsustainable Read more

Defence ministry officials said the Taliban had used the Humvee, which had been captured from Afghan forces, as a bomb in order to breach the military fortifications.

Hussein Ali Baligh, a member of the local provincial council, said: “This morning, around 7am, a Humvee entered the NDS block in the city … about 150 NDS personnel were present at the time of the attack. The Humvee exploded right after entering the compound. The building has totally been collapsed.” At least two gunmen followed up the attack before being killed themselves.

He said the attack sparked concerns in the province over how a Humvee that had been in the hands of government forces could pass through checkpoints while packed with explosives. “It shows the weakness of our forces,” he said. “Our forces are brave, but their commanders have weaknesses.”

Sharif Hotak, a member of the provincial council in Maidan Wardak, said he had seen the bodies of 35 Afghan forces personnel in hospital. “Many more were killed. Several bodies were transported to Kabul city and many injured were transferred to hospitals in Kabul,” said Hotak, adding that “the government was hiding the accurate casualty figures to prevent a further dip in morale of the Afghan forces”.

Government officials in Maidan Wardak and Kabul declined to comment when asked if they were obscuring the death toll.

Two senior officials in the interior ministry said the exact casualty figure was not being disclosed to prevent unrest within the armed forces. “I have been told not to make the death toll figures public. It is frustrating to hide the facts,” said a senior interior ministry official in Kabul.

The office of the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, said the “enemies of the country” had carried out an attack against NDS personnel in Maidan Shahr, the provincial capital. “They killed and wounded a number of our beloved and honest sons,” he said.

He added: “Terrorist groups and their foreign supporters cannot weaken the high morale of our brave security and defence forces, because they have a great will to repress terrorists.” Ghani ordered the officials to investigate this attack.

In recent years, the Afghan government has stopped releasing detailed casualty figures. Last year, Ghani said 28,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers had been killed since 2015, breaking the longstanding suppression of casualty data.

Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack. Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Islamist militant group, claimed it had killed 190 people.

Last week, Taliban fighters set off a car bomb outside a highly fortified compound in Kabul, killing at least five people and wounding more than 110 Afghans and expats.

Some analysts have suggested the recent increase in the intensity of Taliban attacks is a ploy by the group to gain the upper hand in ongoing talks with the US Afghan envoy.</s>KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban killed more than 100 members of the Afghan security forces inside a military compound in central Maidan Wardak province on Monday, a senior defense official said.

“We have information that 126 people have been killed in the explosion inside the military training center, eight special commandoes are among the dead,” said a senior official in the defense ministry in Kabul, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said the assault began on Monday morning when the attackers rammed a car full explosives through a military check point and detonated the vehicle inside the campus of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces training center in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Maidan Wardak province.

Two gunmen entered the campus right after the explosion and shot at many Afghan soldiers before being gunned down during the clashes.

Defense ministry officials said the Taliban had used U.S.-made armored Humvee vehicles captured from Afghan forces as a car bomb in order to breach the military fortifications.

A second source residing in Maidan Wardak province said more than 100 members of National Directorate of Security (NDS) were killed in the complex attack.

“I have been in touch with the NDS official in the province and they told me that over 100 members of the NDS were killed in the big explosion,” the former provincial official said.

Sharif Hotak, a member of the provincial council in Maidan Wardak said he saw bodies of 35 Afghan forces in the hospital.

“Many more were killed. Several bodies were transported to Kabul city and many injured were transferred to hospitals in Kabul,” said Hotak, adding that “the government was hiding the accurate casualty figures to prevent a further dip in morale of the Afghan forces.”

“The explosion was very powerful. The whole building has collapsed,” he said.

Government officials in Maidan Wardak and Kabul declined to comment when asked if they were obscuring the death toll.

Two senior officials in the interior ministry said the exact casualty figures was not being disclosed to prevent unrest within the armed forces.

“I have been told not to make the death toll figures public. It is frustrating to hide the facts,” said a senior interior ministry official in Kabul.

A senior NDS official in Kabul said at least 50 people were killed or wounded in the complex attack.

Abdurrahman Mangal, spokesman for the provincial governor in Maidan Wardak said 12 people were killed and 12 were injured when the car bomb exploded near the Afghan special forces unit.

President Ashraf Ghani’s office in a statement said the “enemies of the country” had carried out an attack against NDS personnel in Maidan Shahr. “They killed and wounded a number of our beloved and honest sons.”

In recent years the Afghan government has stopped releasing detailed casualty figures. Last year Ghani has said 28,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers have been killed since 2015, breaking the longstanding suppression on casualty data.

Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack. Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the hardline Islamic militant group said they have killed 190 people in the complex attack.

Last week, Taliban fighters set off a car bomb outside a highly fortified compound killing at least five people and wounding more than 110 Afghans and expatriates in the capital, Kabul.</s>Jan. 21 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber attacked an Afghan intelligence training facility in the Wardak province Monday, killing dozens of people, security officials said.

The bomber used a Humvee to ram into the compound run by the country's national intelligence agency, causing an explosion, The Washington Post reported. After the explosion, gunmen entered the compound, where they were killed by security forces.

A senior official with Afghan's National Directorate of Security told The Guardian at least 50 people died or sustained injuries. Another official from the Afghan public health ministry said the total people killed and injured could be about 140 people.

The Taliban took responsibility for the attack, which followed another incident Sunday in which a suicide bomber used the same tactics to disrupt a government convoy in Logar. The provincial governor survived the attack, but eight of his bodyguards died.

Taliban attacks have increased while leaders participate in peace talks supported by the United States. Some Afghan officials said the attacks are a tactic to get leverage in the discussions aimed at ending the 17-year war.

Hussein Ali Baligh, a member of the local provincial council, expressed concern over how an explosives-laden Humvee can pass enough checkpoints to reach the guarded facility. He said the vehicle appeared to have once belonged to the Afghan government.

"It shows the weakness of our forces," Ali Baligh said. "Our forces are brave, but their commanders have weaknesses."</s>The Taliban killed more than 100 members of the Afghan security forces inside a military compound in central Maidan Wardak province on Monday, a senior defence official said.

"We have information that 126 people have been killed in the explosion inside the military training center, eight special commandoes are among the dead," said a senior official in the defence ministry in Kabul, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official said the assault began on Monday morning when the attackers rammed a car full explosives through a military check point and detonated the vehicle inside the campus of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) forces training center in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Maidan Wardak province.

Two gunmen entered the campus right after the explosion and shot at many Afghan soldiers before being gunned down during the clashes.

Defence ministry officials said the Taliban had used US-made armoured Humvee vehicles captured from Afghan forces as a car bomb in order to breach the military fortifications.

A second source residing in Maidan Wardak province said more than 100 members of National Directorate of Security (NDS) were killed in the complex attack.

"I have been in touch with the NDS official in the province and they told me that over 100 members of the NDS were killed in the big explosion," the former provincial official said.</s>KABUL (Reuters) - More than 100 members of Afghan security forces were killed when Taliban insurgents attacked a military compound in the central Maidan Wardak province on Monday, a senior defence ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“We have information that 126 people have been killed in the explosion inside the military training center,” the official said.

A provincial official also said the death toll was over 100.

A government spokesman declined to comment. Earlier the government said 12 people had been killed.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.</s>At least 12 people were killed Monday in a Taliban-claimed attack on a military compound in central Afghanistan, officials said, as the insurgents continue to batter the war-torn country's beleaguered security forces.

The attack began after a vehicle loaded with explosives rammed into the entrance of a compound in Maidan Shahr -- the capital of Wardak province that lies about 50 kilometers south of the capital Kabul.

At least three gunmen stormed the base following the explosion, igniting a firefight with Afghan security forces. All three gunmen were later killed in the exchange, according to a provincial official.

"So far our reports show 12 have been killed and 20 wounded, most of whom were Afghan security forces," Akhtar Mohammad Taheri -- the head of Wardak provincial council -- told AFP.

"The Taliban used a Humvee vehicle to hit the compound," Taheri added.

"Some wounded people were taken to hospitals in Kabul for further treatment as they were in critical condition," said Asgharkhail.

Provincial governor spokesman Abdul Rahman Mangal said the huge blast had also partially damaged the base.

The Taliban -- who have been waging a 17-year war against the Western-backed Afghan government -- later claimed responsibility for the assault.

The attack comes a day after a Taliban suicide bomber targeted the convoy of Logar province’s governor, killing at least seven security guards.

Fights between security forces and Taliban fighters have continued to intensify across the country during the frigid Afghan winter, which traditionally experiences a lull in fighting.

The recent Taliban attacks come as Washington is stepping up efforts for a peace deal that could pave the way for the Taliban's participation in the next government, with the US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad visiting regional powers this month after meeting Taliban representatives in December.

Khalilzad ended his visit to neighbouring Pakistan Sunday after meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan last week to discuss ongoing peace efforts.</s>KABUL: A Taliban attack in central Afghanistan on Monday killed scores of security personnel, officials said, with some estimates putting the death toll at more than 100, amid government silence about one of the most deadly insurgent attacks in months.

Attackers rammed a captured military Humvee packed with explosives into a training centre of the National Directorate for Security (NDS) in Maidan Wardak province, west of the capital Kabul. At least two gunmen followed up, spraying the compound with gunfire before they were shot down.

“We have information that 126 people have been killed in the explosion inside the military training centre, eight special commandoes are among the dead,” said a senior official in the defence ministry in Kabul, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Local officials also said that scores of troops and NDS personnel were killed in the attack, but there was no official confirmation of the casualty toll, with officials ordered not to talk to media for fear of damaging morale.

“I have been told not to make the death toll figures public. It is frustrating to hide the facts,” said a senior interior ministry official in Kabul.

Read More: End to war will remain ‘dream’ if Taliban don’t talk to Kabul: Abdullah

The sophisticated attack on a highly secured base underlined the heavy pressure facing Afghan security forces as increasingly confident Taliban fighters have stepped up operations, even as diplomatic efforts to agree on a peaceful settlement to the conflict have begun.

Taliban insurgents, fighting to drive out international forces from Afghanistan, claimed responsibility for the attack, which spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said killed 190 people.

The attack, the most serious against Afghan forces in months, occurred on the same day that Taliban representatives met Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan, in Qatar.

Last week, Taliban fighters set off a car bomb outside a highly fortified compound killing at least five people and wounding more than 110 in the capital, Kabul but casualties from Monday’s attack appear to have been far higher.

Sharif Hotak, a member of the provincial council in Maidan Wardak, said he saw the bodies of 35 members of the Afghan forces in the hospital.

“Many more were killed. Several bodies were transported to Kabul city, and many injured were transferred to hospitals in Kabul,” said Hotak, adding that “the government was hiding the accurate casualty figures to prevent a further dip in the morale of the Afghan forces.”

Monday’s attack caused the biggest casualty total suffered by Afghan forces since August 2018, when the Taliban overran central Ghazni province. That confrontation killed 150 members of Afghan security forces and 95 civilians dead, as well as hundreds of Taliban fighters, said officials then.

Read More: Pakistan trying to conduct next round of talks between US, Taliban: FM Qureshi

President Ashraf Ghani’s office said in a statement the “enemies of the country” had carried out the attack and had killed and wounded “a number of our beloved and honest sons”.

In recent years the Afghan government has stopped releasing detailed casualty figures, but U.S. commanders have said repeatedly that the losses being suffered by Afghan forces are “unsustainable”. Last year Ghani said 28,000 Afghan police officers and soldiers had been killed since 2015.

The British embassy in Afghanistan said Monday’s casualties were “a stark reminder of the sacrifice the Afghan security and defence forces make for their country”.</s>Over 100 security killed in Taliban attack on Afghan military training center – reports

Taliban militants killed over 100 members of the Afghan security forces in an attack on a military compound in the central province of Maidan Wardak, Reuters reported citing a source in the military.

"We have information that 126 people have been killed in the explosion inside the military training center," an official told Reuters. The government said earlier that 12 people had been killed, but declined to comment further.</s>Men stand in front of a collapsed building of a military base after a car bomb attack in Maidan Wardak - REUTERS

Taliban attackers killed more than 100 Afghan security personnel when they detonated a car bomb in a training base and then stormed inside.

The deadly attack on an intelligence training centre came amid American fears that the beleaguered Afghan forces are suffering unsustainable casualties against the Taliban.

A captured, American-made armoured vehicle loaded with explosives was rammed through a checkpoint at the National Directorate of Security (NDS) training base in Maidan Shahr, the capital of Maidan Wardak province.

A senior defence official told Reuters that after the vehicle detonated in the campus, two gunmen had entered and shot dead many Afghans in the wake of the huge explosion.

"We have information that 126 people have been killed in the explosion inside the military training centre, eight special commandoes are among the dead," said the official.

Another official put the NDS death toll at more than 100.

Last month, the Pentagon’s pick for the next commander of U.S. Central Command said the Afghan's high casualty rate was unsustainable.

Lt Gen Kenneth McKenzie said: “Their losses have been very high. They are fighting hard, but their losses are not going to be sustainable unless we correct this problem.”

Ashraf Ghani, last year said Afghanistan had lost 28,000 soldiers and police killed since 2015.

Sharif Hotak, a member of the Wardak provincial council in Maidan Wardak, said he saw bodies of 35 Afghan personnel in the hospital after the attack.

"Many more were killed. Several bodies were transported to Kabul city and many injured were transferred to hospitals in Kabul," said Hotak, adding that "the government was hiding the

accurate casualty figures to prevent a further dip in morale of the Afghan forces."

Two senior officials in the interior ministry said the exact casualty figures was not being disclosed to prevent unrest within the armed forces.

Lindsey Graham, the senior US Republican senator, said during a visit to Islamabad earlier this week that the Afghan forces still needed American help.

“ Those who want the Afghans to fight and be in the front of the fight, they are,” he said.

“ To those who believe they should do more and America should do less, that's coming true. One thing I can tell President Trump and the American people is that we are still needed. It is in our interests to see this through.”</s>Taliban militants have carried out an assault on a military base in Maidan Wardak Province in eastern Afghanistan, Afghan officials said.

 

 A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the January 21 attack on the base, which also serves as a police training facility.

 

 An Afghan health official told the AP that at least 12 people had been killed in the attack.

A local official in Maidan Wardak Province told RFE/RL that the total casualty figure was more than 20.

 

 A suicide car bomber struck the base around 7 a.m., after which an unknown number of militants attacked.

 

 Abdurahman Mangal, spokesman for the Maidan Wardak Province governor, told RFE/RL that three suicide bombers were shot dead by security forces before they were able to detonate their bombs.

 

 Taliban militants killed eight police officers and wounded 10 on January 20 in Logar Province in an attack that targeted a convoy conveying the provincial governor.

With reporting by AP and dpa
A Taliban attack on a National Directorate of Security compound in the central Maidan Wardak Province, kills 126 security personnel, according to local officials.