KUNDUZ, Afghanistan  – At least 23 soldiers were killed and 13 wounded in clashes in Afghanistan’s northern province of Kunduz Wednesday night, a local official said Thursday.

“Taliban militants stormed joint security checkpoints in Qarluq locality of Archi district at midnight. The clashes lasted for hours and caused six national army and local police personnel killed,” district Governor Nasruddin
Nazari told Xinhua.

Two security force members were also wounded during the fighting. In a separate incident, the militants attacked an army camp in Pul-e-Momin locality in eastern side of Archi district, killing 17 army soldiers and injuring 11 others.

Several militants were also killed and wounded during the clashes, but their number could not be exactly specified as the militants evacuated their casualties after the fighting, the official added.

The Kunduz province, as well as neighboring Baghlan and Takhar provinces, has been the scene of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to challenge the government forces in the once relatively
peaceful region.

The Afghan security forces’ casualties have risen since the beginning of 2015 when Afghan soldiers and police assumed full responsibilities of security from the U.S. and NATO troops.