At least two Afghan security forces personnel were killed and six more injured as a result of two separate car bomb blasts in the southern province of Helmand, officials said.
The Helmand officials said that the Taliban intended to block the Kandahar-Lashkargah highway by plotting the two attacks.
“Six of our soliders were wounded in defense of the country, two of our officers were martyred,” said Yasin Khan, the governor of Helmand province.
Reports from the frontline in Helmand indicate that the Afghan security forces and the Taliban outfits engaged in fierce battle after the two incidents, Tolo News reported.
“The enemy wanted to explode a car full of explosives on our base,” said Sediqullah Zuwak, an officer of the National Directorate of Security (NDS).
“After the explosion, they started fighting with us and the fighting lasted for 20 minutes,” said Laal Mohammad, an NDS officer.
Residents in Helmand have also voiced deep concern over the dramatic surge in the level of violence in the province.
“Houses were damaged, there was destruction,” said a resident in Nahr-e-Saraj.
New waves of violence grips Helmand following a relatively peaceful period over the past couple of months.
Meanwhile, three key security forces leaders and four other security force members were killed in a roadside mine blast in Uruzgan province on Wednesday morning.