At least 15 soldiers died after an attack by the Taliban in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on Thursday. This is the third such attack in the southern part of the country this week, AFP reported.

Militants had launched assaults in security bases in the region earlier this week. Around 60 security personnel from troops backed by the Western alliance have died in the past few days.

Defence ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri told AFP, “The Taliban launched a coordinated assault on an army base last night (Thursday) in Shah Wali Kot... but the base remains under the control of our forces.”

The attacks are part of the insurgent group’s “spring offensive”, after United States-led troops had pushed out the Taliban from parts of the country and Iraq.