At least 11 Afghan soldiers were killed and 16 others injured as Islamic State militants attacked a military academy in the Afghanistan capital Kabul on early Monday (January 29).

A suicide bomber first struck the military unit responsible for providing security for the academy, followed by a gunbattle with the troops, reports the ABC news quoting Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan defense ministry.

The attack was the latest in a wave of relentless violence in Kabul this month unleashed by the Taliban and the rival Islamic State group that has killed scores and left hundreds wounded.

At least five insurgents were involved in the morning assault, according to Waziri. Two of the attackers were killed in the gunbattle, two detonated their suicide vests and one was arrested by the troops, he said.

After the gunbattle ended, the security forces resumed control of the area. They also confiscated one suicide vest, an AK-47 and some ammunition, Waziri said.

Waziri earlier said that five soldiers were killed but later raised the death toll to 11. He insisted, however that "the attack was against an army unit providing security for the academy and not the academy itself."

Hours later, the Islamic State group's affiliate in Afghanistan, known as Khorasan Province, posted its claim of responsibility on the website of its media arm, the Aamaq news agency, saying its fighters targeted the "military academy in Kabul."

The same academy was also attacked in October last year by a suicide bomber who killed 15 officers. The attacker was on foot and detonated his suicide vest as the on-duty officers were leaving the facility, heading home in the evening. That attack was claimed by the Taliban.

BDST: 1555 HRS, JAN 29, 2018
AP