A Taliban attack on a military outpost in the northern province of Baghlan in the early hours of Wednesday killed as many as 44 Afghan police and soldiers, according to provincial officials. There was no immediate comment from the military but officials in the area said nine police and 35 soldiers were killed in the attack. The attack came as the situation in the embattled central city of Ghazni eased after the Taliban said they had ordered forces out after five days of fighting. The city hospital is overcrowded with hundreds of wounded people, Reuters reported. About 20 percent of the population in Ghazni depend on the city water system, which has been down since the beginning of fighting. The Red Cross is organizing emergency water supplies by truck to cover the needs of about 18,000 people.