Ten Afghan army soldiers were killed after the Taliban attacked their base in southern Kandahar province, a statement by the Afghan Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

Nine soldiers were also wounded in the incident which occurred at 11:50 pm (1920 GMT) on Monday, the statement added, saying that the Taliban faced heavy resistance from troops stationed at the outpost in Shahwali Kot district of Kandahar province.

"The injured have been transported to hospital and their condition has been reported stable," the statement said.

The attack comes after 20 policemen were killed during simultaneous Taliban attacks on several districts and on the capital city of Zabul province in southern Afghanistan on Saturday.