At least 37 killed in Taliban attack on Afghan airport: defence ministry
The raid comes after days of speculation about fate of Taliban leader.
Kandahar: At least 37 people were killed and 35 others wounded after Taliban militants stormed Kandahar airport in southern Afghanistan, with one of the 11 assailants still resisting security forces, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
"Nine insurgents have been killed, one other is injured and another one is still holding up against our forces," the ministry said.
The attack on the sprawling complex, which also houses a joint NATO-Afghan base, coincides with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's high-profile visit to Islamabad for a regional conference.
Ghani's willingness to visit longtime nemesis Pakistan for the Heart of Asia conference has signalled a renewed push to jumpstart peace talks with the Taliban, despite a spike in cross-border tensions.
The raid also comes after days of fevered speculation about the fate of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour following reports that he was critically wounded in a firefight with his own commanders in Pakistan.