Kabul: Taliban militants killed at least 43 Afghan troops early on Thursday when they stormed a military base in southern Afghanistan, the Defence Ministry said.

Of 60 soldiers manning the base in the southern province of Kandahar, 43 were killed, nine were wounded and six were missing after Taliban militants stormed the base in the middle of the night, the ministry said in a statement.

At least nine Taliban were also reported killed.

The Taliban claimed the attack in a media statement.

Afghan forces have struggled to combat a resurgent Taliban since the U.S. and NATO forces formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.

The attack happened when two suicide bombers in Humvees targeted a military base in the Maiwand district of Kandahar, Tolo News television channel reported, citing a source.

Two days ago, suicide bombers and gunmen stormed a police training centre in the eastern Afghan city of Gardez, killing at least 43 people, reported BBC.

Some 110 civilians and 48 police were injured. The interior ministry said the local police chief was among the dead. The Taliban said they were behind the attack, and are being blamed for a second assault in the neighbouring Ghazni province. The violence there left 30 people dead, most of them security personnel. At least 10 others were wounded.