Taliban Gunmen Murder Scores at Afghan Base; Attacked Unarmed Soldiers in Mosque, at Lunch

Scores of soldiers were killed today (April 21, 2017) when Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers in military uniforms stormed an Afghan Army base in northern Afghanistan, according to the NY Times website.


The attack on the 209th Corps in Balkh Province began around 1 p.m., in a crowded area where soldiers -- most of them unarmed -- were leaving Friday Prayer or eating lunch.


Zabiullah Kaker, a member of the Balkh provincial council, said people inside the army corps had told him that at least 66 soldiers were killed in the attack and that 74 were wounded.


The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. A Taliban spokesman said the assailants were assisted by four soldiers inside the base who had long been Taliban infiltrators.