Taliban forces nearly wiped out an entire Afghan army post, killing 43 soldiers, when they stormed a base with suicide bombers in the strife-torn southern province of Kandahar.

The attack comes as 3,000 more US troops begin to flow into Afghanistan, and others push out of their bases to work more closely with small Afghan units.

The attack took place on Wednesday night after two Humvees packed with explosives were driven into the Afghan National Army base in Kandahar’s Maiwand district, where 60 soldiers were stationed, reported The Washington Post.

Taliban fighters then assaulted the facility, setting off several hours of fighting that killed nearly every Afghan soldier there and wounded nine.

The battle ended with a US airstrike that killed nine Taliban fighters, Nato officials said.

Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Defence Ministry, said just two soldiers remained unharmed on the base, while six had disappeared.

Taliban attacks on Afghan military and police compounds have increased this past week after US officials met with delegations from Afghanistan, Pakistan and China to discuss the possibility of restarting peace negotiations with the insurgent group, said The Washington Post report.
.

Earlier this week, a string of Taliban attacks in three separate provinces killed 74 people in some of the deadliest attacks of the year.

Another 12 police officers died in two smaller Taliban strikes earlier Wednesday, government officials said.