By Zabihullah Tamanna
KABUL, Afghanistan
At least 11 Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed and six others wounded in an ambush on Sunday night, in the western province of Herat, Afghan authorities said Monday.
According to the deputy provincial governor, Asil Din Jami, the convoy of army soldiers was attacked by suspected Taliban militants in Masjid Chobi locality of Karrulh district on Sunday night.
“The soldiers were patrolling on the highway between Herat and Badghis province when they came under Taliban attack,” Jami told Anadolu Agency.
An investigation team was sent to the area to verify earlier reports indicating that the militants had seized the weapons belonging to soldiers.
The Taliban group has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
Herat, in western Afghanistan, lies on the border with Iran and Turkmenistan and is considered to be a relatively peaceful province.
Despite informal talks between Afghan government representatives and the Taliban in Norway, Qatar and Dubai, the fighting in Afghanistan has escalated following the launch of the Taliban’s spring offensive in April.
Afghan security forces assumed the responsibility for security from NATO-led international security forces at the end of 2014.
U.S.-led international forces ended combat missions in December of last year. However, nearly 13,000 international troops remain in an advisory capacity.
