Taliban militants killed 18 Afghan soldiers, beheading eight, and possibly abducted others after they stormed an army outpost in the northeast mountainous region Monday, AFP reported.
Officials told AFP about a dozen soldiers also went missing after the attack, conducted by about 200 fighters, on the Jurm district of Badakhstan province on Friday. The incident comes shortly before the traditional spring fighting season for the Taliban.
Twenty Taliban were also killed in the attack, deputy provincial police chief Sakhidad Haidar told AFP.
Afghanistan has seen a surge in attacks by the group of insurgents since Washington slowed down its plans to withdraw its troops, according to the AFP.
While US forces are no longer on the front lines in the fight against the Taliban, they remain in the country to help train Afghan forces.
