15 army cadets killed

A suicide bomber killed 15 Afghan army trainees yesterday as they were leaving their base in Kabul, the defence ministry said, as militants step up their deadly attacks across the war-torn country.

It was the second suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in 24 hours and the seventh major assault in Afghanistan since Tuesday, taking the total death toll to more than 200, with hundreds more wounded.

The attack comes after a suicide bomber blew himself up in a mosque in Kabul on Friday, killing 56 people and wounding 55 others in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the ambush but the Taliban has been involved in the previous four attacks on police and military bases this week.

Kabul Crime Branch chief General Mohammad Salim Almas said police have launched an investigation into the attack which happened in the west of the city.

The spate of deadly attacks underscores deteriorating security across Afghanistan as the resurgent Taliban step up their attacks on security installations with devastating effect and Islamic State continue to target Shia mosques.

Nato's Resolute Support mission tweeted that the latest incident was an "attack on the future" of Afghanistan and its security forces.

It was the fifth time since Tuesday that militants have launched a major attack against Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces already badly demoralised by high casualties and desertions.

The university, on the western outskirts of Kabul, is home to the Afghan military's officer training school and other training academies.

On Thursday, the Taliban stormed a military base in the southern province of Kandahar, killing at least 43 of the 60 soldiers manning the base, which was left in ruins.

Two days earlier, at least 36 security personnel were killed and scores wounded in Taliban attacks on government compounds in Paktia and Ghazni provinces, with a senior provincial police commander among the dead.

Source: AFP