国际英语新闻：Militancy claims over 24 lives including 5 NATO soldiers in Afghanistan

Also Afghan forces killed a would-be suicide bomber and detained two others on Saturday and thus foiling attempt to storm a military base in the southern Zabul province, Defense Ministry said in a statement released here.

"Three rebels including a suicide bomber attempted to target a base of Afghan national army in Shahjoi district at 07:00 a.m. local time but the troops opened fire killing the suicide bomber on the spot and captured two of his comrades," the statement added.

Meantime, a Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi claimed 11 Afghan soldiers were killed in the clash. However, spokesman for provincial administration Mohammad Jan Rasouli rejected the claim as mere propaganda.

Taliban also set on fire a school in Bust area of Helmand province on Saturday, deputy to provincial police chief Kamaludin Khan said.

Furthermore, clash and explosion left three civilians and one police dead in Gereshk district of the southern and militancy- plagued Helmand province on Saturday while seven others including five civilians and two police were injured, provincial police chief Mohammad Hakim Angar confirmed.

A roadside bomb targeted NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in northern Kunduz province Saturday morning injured two NATO soldiers and damaged two military vehicles, a spokesman with military alliance in the province Lieutenant Colonel Webber said

Meantime, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in talks with media via telephone from undisclosed location said that two roadside bombs organized by the militants destroyed two tanks and inflicted huge casualties on the NATO troops in Chardara district of Kunduz province.