20 Afghan troops die as Taliban storm checkpoints

KABUL, Apr 10 (AP): Taliban fighters stormed army checkpoints in southern Afghanistan near the Pakistani border overnight, killing 20 troops, an official said on Tuesday.

Eight other security forces were also wounded in Monday night's attack in Shorabak district, Mohammad Yousof Younosi, a provincial council member in Kandahar, said.

An official from the provincial governor's office, who was not authorized to speak with the media, confirmed the attack and said there were casualties among the Afghan forces, but couldn't provide exact figures.

Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and said the group's fighters also seized weapons and ammunition.

Also on Tuesday, US forces in Afghanistan revised the death toll from a Taliban attack a day earlier near the main American base in the country, saying three Marines were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities.