Afghan army soldiers on Monday repelled a Taliban attack on security checkpoints in the eastern province of Ghazni, killing eight militants, and one soldier also died, an army source said.

The attack occurred in the early morning hours as several armed militants stormed the checkpoints in Mohammad Kli and Regrashan localities of Muqur district, Hanif Rezahi, an army press officer in the province, told Xinhua.

About 12 militants and two army soldiers were also wounded in the clashes which lasted for a couple of hours in the province, with Ghazni city as its capital, 125 km south of the national capital of Kabul, the source added.

The Taliban militants, who ruled the country before being ousted in late 2001, renewed armed insurgency, staging ambushes and suicide attacks, killing combatants as well as civilians.

They have been on rampage since the beginning of 2015 when the Afghan security forces assumed the full responsibility of security from the U.S. and NATO forces. 

source: Xinhua