Mazar-i-Sharif (Afghanistan): Afghanistan on Sunday observed a national day of mourning after 140 soldiers were killed in a Taliban attack on a military base, prompting angry calls for ministers and army chiefs to resign.
Flags flew at half-mast throughout the country and special prayers were said for the dead.
The defence ministry gave a figure of at least 100 soldiers killed or wounded. It ignored media calls for a complete breakdown of casualties following the five-hour attack near the provincial capital of Mazar-i-Sharif.
But local officials including, Mohammad Ibrahim Khairandish the head of the provincial council, put the death toll as high as 130 and said about 60 were wounded.
Ordinary Afghans vented their anger at the government for its inability to counter a series of brazen Taliban assaults, including a raid on the country's largest military hospital in Kabul in March that left dozens dead.
"Mothers lost their sons, sisters lost their brothers and wives lost their husbands. What is the government doing to prevent such atrocities, only condemning? I am so tired, I can't do anything but to cry," a user called Zabiullah posted on Facebook.
"This was no act of desperation. The Taliban infiltrated an Afghan military base. That's a major sign of strength," tweeted Washington-based analyst Michael Kugelman. A military source at the base indicated the assault was an insider attack, and the militants were "young recruits who had come for training".
Afghan security force casualties soared by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR.
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