AT LEAST 20 Afghan border troops have been killed in a Taliban attack on their base in the western province of Farah, a member of the provincial council admitted yesterday.

Abdul Samad Salehi said more than 45 border force personnel had been stationed at the base in Posht Koh district, but only three were able to reach a nearby village, with the rest either killed or captured by the Taliban.

The Monday night gun battle lasted for more than two hours before insurgents overran the base and communications were lost, said the official.

A United Nations report released yesterday found that 56 civilians were killed and 379 others wounded in attacks during Afghanistan’s recent parliamentary election.

Fifty-two civilians were killed and 339 others were wounded in election-day violence, said the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan report.

The rest were killed or wounded in the days that followed as delayed polling took place in some provinces.