9 Afghan soldiers killed in camp attack in southern province

TIRIN KOT, Afghanistan, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) -- At least nine Afghan army soldiers were killed and 20 others wounded after Taliban militants attacked an army camp in Uruzgan province, south of Afghanistan, a local official said Tuesday.

"Armed militants attacked an army camp in Kaftar Khana, an area on the outskirts of provincial capital Tirin Kot on Sunday night. The army personnel repulsed the attackers after hours of fighting," the provincial source told Xinhua anonymously.

Several militants were also killed and wounded during the gun battle, but their number could not be exactly specified as the militants evacuated their casualties in the mountainous province, he added.

The province is a Taliban stronghold.

Rahmat Shah, a senior army official in the province, has confirmed the clash and the inflicted casualties on the side of army.

The Afghan security forces' casualties have risen since the beginning of 2015 when Afghan soldiers and police assumed full responsibilities of security from the U.S. and NATO troops. Enditem