Dozens of people have been killed in a Taliban attack on a military base in north Afghanistan, said a US military spokesman.
"We're talking probably more than 50 casualties" said US spokesman Colonel John Thomas, describing it as a "significant" strike.
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack on Camp Shaheen near Mazar-i-Sharif in the Balkh province.
"Our fighters have inflicted heavy casualties on the Afghan army stationed there," said a spokesman for the group.
The attack occurred near a mosque and dining facility on the base as soldiers were leaving Friday prayers.
The Afghan army said six attackers in two military vehicles told guards at the base they were carrying wounded soldiers and urgently needed to get in.
They then killed several soldiers at the base using rocket-propelled grenades and gun before the Afghan military responded, killing or arresting all six of the attackers.
Afghan civilians were also probably working at the base.
The base is the headquarters for the Afghan army's 209th Corps and a number of foreign soldiers are also based there as part of a NATO-led mission to train Afghan security forces.
The US and German military have both said no international troops were involved in the attack but it is unclear how close soldiers were to the fighting.
The Afghanistan government is locked in an ongoing battle with Taliban insurgents and other militant groups within the country.
The NATO command in Kabul called the attack "murderous and reprehensible".
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