Taliban storm airport complex in Afghan southern city

Khpalwak said three Taliban attackers also were killed.

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The Kandahar airport attack, which began on Tuesday, also left 35 people wounded, a statement from the ministry in Kabul said, adding that nine attackers had also been killed and one was wounded.

Nine terrorists were killed by Afghan security forces, although there are reports of one jihadi who is still holding out.

According to medical officials, the dead include 37 civilians and security personnel.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Wednesday said that Afghanistan wants to have cordial relations with Pakistan and is thankful to the latter for hosting millions of refugees on its land for decades.

A spokesman for the provincial governor said the attackers had managed to breach the first gate of the complex in the southern city.

According to the eyewitnesses in the area, the Taliban militants initially launched the attack by hurling hand grenades and taking position inside an old school building located near the airfield.

The face of one of them is obscured with blue ink for unknown reasons.

“Stuff like this is pretty bold, pretty ambitious”, the western official said about the Kandahar attack.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesmen Zabihullah Mujahid and Qari Yousaf Ahmadi asserted responsibly for the attack, saying the clash was ongoing. But the militants have often made exaggerated casualty claims in the past.

The attack is seen as a show of the Taliban’s mobility and flexibility as key regional leaders attend a conference in Islamabad, Pakistan, called the Heart of Asia.

In recent days, the Taliban has denied reports that new leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was wounded or killed in a gunfight with fellow commanders.

“It has become a familiar pattern”.

Officials told Al Jazeera the attackers used AK-47 assault rifles and wore military uniforms during the assault.

In a speech, Ghani praised Pakistan’s pledge to resume talks and respect Afghan sovereignty. The new confusion about Mullah Mansour’s fate seems to have some of the splinter group believing they can press the offensive against them.

The Taliban released an audio message on Saturday purportedly from Mansour, vehemently rejecting reports of any shootout as “enemy propaganda”.

Vehement denials by the Islamist group of any clash have fallen on sceptical ears, especially after they kept the death of longtime chief Mullah Omar secret for two years.

Rumours of his demise could potentially intensify the simmering rifts within the insurgent movement.

The Afghan forces are firefighting with them.