Afghan forces repel daylong Taliban assault on Kandahar airport, 50 killed

The Taliban also released a photo of what it says are the 10 men in military uniforms it sent to attack the Kandahar airport.

Witnesses said the militants had taken families hostage, using them as “human shields” after storming the sprawling complex, and slowing down the military s clearance operation.

“Soldiers were calling on Taliban attackers to let women and children go but attackers declined”. It said the 11 “terrorists” who took part in the assault were killed, and that fighting ended late Wednesday.

Fifty people have been killed by the Taliban in an attack on an Afghan airport that lasted more than 24 hours.

“We are fighting on behalf of all of you, but we are the ones who are suffering some of the worst atrocities”, Mr Ghani said. Referring to the assailants as “martyrdom seekers”, the post said they launched “thunderous attacks on foreign and hireling personnel”, according to the BBC. A local official confirmed the district had fallen.

PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: The Taliban targeted the airport in Afghanistan’s second-largest city, Kandahar. “Peace and reconciliation remains the surest way to end violence and ensure stability in Afghanistan and the region”, it said.

The attack is one of the deadliest since the USA began drawing down in Afghanistan and raises concerns about the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The southern province of Kandahar, with the provincial capital by the same name, is a Taliban heartland.

Thirty-seven civilians were killed in an attack Tuesday night at a market bazaar and a school near Kandahar airport, Afghan officials said.

Relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan had plummeted since July following confirmation that the Taleban’s founder Mullah Omar was dead, a revelation that scuppered nascent peace talks between Kabul and the Islamist movement.

Afghanistan’s foreign minister called on Pakistan to help restart stalled peace talks between his government and the Taliban, as he spoke at a discussion on Wednesday that risked being overshadowed by a major Taliban strike in Afghanistan.

Ghani, on the other hand, acknowledged the successes achieved by Pakistan’s armed forces in war against terrorism.

“Unfortunately, recent events in Pakistan have forced us to host 350,000 to 500,000 refugees from Pakistan… the refugee issue is a common issue, like all issues”, Ghani said. Their meeting is seen as a strong signal that both sides are attempting to revive the Taleban talks, brokered by Pakistan’s powerful army which has long wielded influence over the insurgent group. Ghani’s visit to Islamabad and Pakistan hosting the “Heart of Asia” are initial steps to improve ties again, but the Taliban seems to have escaped the narrative as Pakistan, even if willing, will have a hard time imposing its writ on a deeply divided Taliban, half of which rejects Mansour’s leadership.