At least 15 militants have been confirmed dead and 26 others including six policemen were injured as a vehicle bomb followed by a gun fight targeted a police base outside Qalat city, the capital of Afghanistan's southern Zabul province on Thursday, provincial police chief Hekmatullah Kuchi said.
"Taliban rebels detonated an explosive-laden military vehicle next to a police base in Norak area 40 km outside provincial capital Qalat city early today morning and the blast followed by gun battle which lasted for a while and as a result 15 militants were killed and 20 more injured," Kuchi told Xinhua.
Six policemen were also injured due to the blast and the gun battle, the official said.
He added that the attacking militants had been killed and the situation is under control.
Taliban militants, who have intensified activities over the past 10 days to overrun the neighboring Helmand's provincial capital Lashkar Gah, have yet to make comment.
