Afghan forces repel Taliban attack on airport, 50 dead

Those killed in the attack include 39 civilian males, of whom at least four were boys, 13 Afghan National Army and two Afghan National Police”, the statement said, adding that “The majority of the deceased appeared to be civilian shopkeepers working at the bazaar and civilian customers.

A source at the military hospital at the airport told Pajhwok Afghan News 40 people had been killed and another 35 injured in the attack including women and children.

Kandahar airport is likely one of the most closely protected bases within the nation.

Cooperation between Afghanistan and Pakistan is essential to ending the insurgency by the Afghan Taliban, who have bases on both sides of the countries’ porous border. A spokesman for Nato’s resolute support mission said there had been no reports of casualties among the hundreds of worldwide personnel at the air base.

Mansour’s group has seen a resurgence in recent months, opening new battlefronts across the country with Afghan forces struggling to rein in the expanding insurgency.

The most devastating assault was carried out in 2012 when Taliban combatants wearing United States military uniforms stormed Camp Bastion in neighbouring Helmand province, destroying aircraft worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Security officials offered few details of the operation and did not disclose information about casualties among Afghan security forces.

“The massive cross-border movement of refugees constitutes a security risk”, Sharif said.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan was non-committal Wednesday about renewing Canada’s $300 million support for Afghan security forces, despite a deadly attack at Kandahar Airfield that left dozens dead. The claim could not be verified, and the Taliban often exaggerate battlefield victories.

The airfield is a major coalition and Afghan outpost in southern Afghanistan in a region that was once a Taliban stronghold.

Several people were also taken hostage in the Taliban assault on Kandahar airport, which began on Tuesday.

– Boost for peace talks?

The Taliban have stepped up their attacks across the country, including a September battle which saw them capture and hold the northern city of Kunduz for three days.

Afghan Foreign Minister said the joint declaration issued at the end of the conference reflects wide-range of commitments of the participants to peace and stability in Afghanistan.

But not only does this latest attack signal the continued opposition to peace amongst some insurgents, its reputed links to Pakistan are sure to place doubt in Afghan officials’ minds about their neighbour’s willingness or ability to crack down on them.

The Taliban had fallen back for a time, but this attack, as well as the taking of Kunduz, shows it’s not going away any time soon.