The death toll in the Taliban attack at a market bazaar and school near Kandahar airport in Afghanistan has jumped to 50, including 38 civilians and 10 Afghan National Army soldiers, the Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
Another 35 people were wounded in the attack that began Tuesday and ended Wednesday night.
Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said Wednesday night that the Kandahar attack was over and 11 terrorists were killed, CNN reported.
Several hostages were reportedly seized by the Taliban insurgents during the 26-hour attack before Afghan forces regained control. Witnesses reported the militants were using hostages as human shields, according to the BBC.
U.S. Army Col. Michael Lawhorn told the BBC the Taliban fighters “never physically entered the airfield.” There were no coalition casualties.
Kandahar, the second largest city in Afghanistan, is roughly 300 miles southwest of Kabul.
The Taliban assault on one of the largest air bases in Afghanistan coincided with a regional peace conference in Islamabad, where Afghan President Ashraf Ghani asked Pakistan to help broker peace negotiations.
The attack was the latest in a string of Taliban raids. The militant group briefly overtook the northern city of Kunduz in September.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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