Afghanistan base death toll may be up to 70, reports say

22 Jan, 2019 06:21 / Updated 6 years ago

There are conflicting reports on the number of people hurt in Monday’s Taliban attack on a military site in eastern Afghanistan. Initial reports said over one hundred could have died, but new updates give smaller figures.

AP says that at least 45 Afghan troops were killed and up to 70 injured in the attack, citing officials in the Maidan Wardak province.

AFP cited a deputy head of the provincial council, reporting at least 65 fatalities. A security official said the death toll was at least 70.

The base was attacked by a suicide bomber driving an explosives-rigged Humvee armored vehicle which targeted a training facility belonging to the National Directorate of Security (NDS), which explains why confirming the death toll may be difficult, the agency stressed.