AFGHAN ARMY CHIEF, DEFENCE MINISTER QUIT OVER ATTACK

Afghanistan’s army chief and defence minister resigned on Monday, following a Taliban attack over the weekend that struck a northern army base, killing more than 100 military and other personnel, officials said.

The attack — the biggest ever by the Taliban on a military base in Afghanistan — involved multiple gunmen and suicide bombers in army uniforms who penetrated the compound of the 209th Corps of the Afghan National Army in northern Balkh province on Friday, killing and wounding scores.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault, which according to some estimates killed over 130 people.

President Ashraf Ghani accepted the resignations of the army chief of staff and the country’s defence minister, according to a statement from the president’s office.

It was not immediately clear who would replace defence minister Abdullah Habibi and army chief of Staff Qadam Shah Shahim.

The authorities have not released definitive numbers for the casualty tolls but Afzel Hadid, the head of the provincial council in Balkh, told The Associated Press that at least 130 people were killed and 80 were wounded.

A senior American military official in Kabul on Monday gave the latest Afghan estimate as standing at 144 Afghan soldiers killed and said it was likely to rise further.

The official said it appears likely the attack was either carried out by or planned by a Pakistan-based Taliban faction known as the Haqqani network, which is a US-designated terrorist organisation. AP