As many as 50 people, including 10 soldiers, two policemen and 38 civilians, were killed in the attack launched by the Afghan Taliban at the Kandahar airport complex, the defence ministry said in a statement on Thursday. In addition, 37 people, including 17 army men and four police officers, were wounded, AFP reported.

The last of the 11 Taliban insurgents responsible for the attack was killed late on Wednesday, more than 24 hours after the siege began late on Tuesday, Reuters reported. The Taliban suicide bombers had targeted a market and a school located within the airport complex, which also serves as a joint Nato-Afghan military base, and blown themselves up among civilians.

According to a military commander in Kandahar, radio intercepts found some assailants coordinating in Urdu, which is more commonly spoken in neighbouring Pakistan. The airport siege coincided with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to Islamabad on Wednesday for the Heart of Asia conference, where he urged Pakistan to help restart peace talks with the militant group.