Taliban kill 10 Afghan soldiers in insider attack, say officials

MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan: Taliban militants who gained access to an Afghan army post through a collaborator killed 10 soldiers Tuesday, officials said, in the latest example of an “insider attack” on government forces.

Lutfollah Azizi, governor of the northern province of Jawzjan where the incident took place at around 2:00am, said 14 soldiers were stationed at the checkpoint, including one infiltrator who allowed the attackers to enter.

“After killing four soldiers using a hand grenade, the Taliban detained the others by tying their hands behind their backs. They then executed six more, while three managed to escape,” Azizi said.

The attack was confirmed by provincial police chief Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani.

Jawzjan province, which borders Turkmenistan, has largely been spared the worst of the violence from a bloody Taliban insurgency now in its 14th year.

This story was originally printed in The News and may be accessed here