Seventeen Afghan soldiers have been killed in an attack by the Daesh Takfiri terrorists on army security posts in eastern Afghanistan.

Axar.az reports that, Ahmad Ali Hazrat, the chief of the provincial council, said on Friday that the attack was carried out in Dih Bala district of Nangarhar province the previous night.

The photo shows Afghan security forces during an operation against Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Kot district of Nangarhar province, February 16, 2017. (Photo by AFP)
Hazrat said the Daesh terrorists attacked the posts from three directions and after several hours of fierce battles, 17 soldiers were killed.

General Doulat Waziri, the spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, said army troops killed 21 militants in the battle.

In a separate attack on Friday, Taliban militants assaulted several government security posts in the eastern province of Kunar, killing five police officers.

Police forces, aided by other security personnel, managed to repel the attackers, forcing them to flee. Provincial Governor Waheedullah Kalimzai said a sixth police officer was missing after the attack.

Kunar borders Pakistan and Taliban militants are active in the province.