Taliban overrun Us-backed Afghan govt’s key army base Magnitude-5 quake hits China; 18 injured

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Afghanistan): Taliban fighters overran a northern Afghan army base, officials said on Tuesday, killing at least 17 soldiers with dozens feared captured in a stinging blow to security forces already struggling to push insurgents from eastern Ghazni.

The fall of the base in Ghormach district of volatile Faryab province came with security forces -- who have struggled to hold back the Taliban since NATO combat troops pulled out in 2014 -- already stretched by the days of fighting in Ghazni, a strategic provincial capital two hours from Kabul.

Militants gained control of the base after days of heavy fighting, according to army spokesman for northern Afghanistan Mohammad Hanif Rezaee.

He said around 100 soldiers were on the base when it was first attacked Sunday.

"It is a tragedy that the base fell to the enemy. Some soldiers were killed, some captured and some fled to nearby hills," Rezaee said.

At least 17 were killed in the attack, according to defence ministry spokesman Ghafoor Ahmad Jawed, while a local MP said Taliban fighters captured another 40 in the base, known as Chenaya.

"Preparations are underway to launch an operation to recapture the base," said the ministry's spokesman.

Tahir Rehmani -- head of Faryab's provincial council -said the base fell after the soldiers begged for reinforcements and air support from Kabul but were ultimately ignored.

"They were too busy with Ghazni," said Rehmani.

Ghazni, further east and which the Taliban first assaulted late Thursday, remains in government hands, officials have said. But the insurgents appeared entrenched there Tuesday, according to residents who said they were burning buildings, killing civilians and firing on security forces conducting a clearing operation.

Afghan security forces, beset by killings, desertions and under intense pressure, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since Us-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.

The attack on Ghazni is the largest tactical onslaught by the Taliban since an unprecedented truce in June brought fighting between security forces and the Taliban to a brief stop, providing battle-worn Afghans some welcome relief.

Analysts have said the insurgents may also be seeking to demonstrate strength as they come under increasing pressure since the ceasefire to join peace talks. BEIJING: Eighteen people were injured after a moderate earthquake measuring 5 on the Richter scale jolted southwest China's Yunnan Province, local authorities have said.

The quake damaged over 6,000 homes and affected more than 48,000 residents in Tonghai and Huaning counties and in the district of Jiangchuan, all administered by the city of Yuxi, the provincial civil affairs department said in a statement.

The injured are being treated in a hospital and are said to be in a stable condition.

The epicentre of the quake which struck on Monday was at a depth of seven kilometres, China Earthquake Networks Centre said.