GLOBAL ECONOMY

Afghan army chief, defense minister resign following attack

Associated Press
Published | Updated

An injured soldier recovers in a hospital after Friday's attack at a military compound in Mazar-e-Sharif province north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 22, 2017. Gunmen wearing army uniforms stormed a military compound in the Balkh province, killing at least eight soldiers and wounding 11 others, an Afghan government official said Friday. (AP Photo) (The Associated Press)

Afghan soldiers stand guard at the gate of a military compound after an attack by gunmen in Mazar-e- Sharif province north of kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, April 21, 2017. Gunmen wearing army uniforms stormed a military compound in the Balkh province, killing at least eight soldiers and wounding 11 others, an Afghan government official said Friday. (AP Photo/Mirwais Najand) (The Associated Press)

An Afghan national Army stands guard at a checkpoint in the Kabul-Jalalabad highway on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, April 22, 2017. Authorities on Saturday raised the casualty toll to 100 in an attack on a military compound in northern Afghanistan a day earlier by gunmen and suicide bombers wearing army uniforms. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) (The Associated Press)

Afghan officials say the country's army chief and the defense minister have resigned following the weekend Taliban attack at a northern army base that killed more than 100 military and other personnel.

The officials say President Ashraf Ghani accepted the resignations on Monday. It was not immediately clear who would replace Defense Minister Abdullah Habibi and Army Chief of Staff Qadam Shah Shahim.

The two officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. The president's official Twitter account also confirmed the resignations.

In Friday's attack, gunmen and suicide bombers wearing army uniforms struck the compound of the 209th Corps of the Afghan National Army in northern Balkh province, killing and wounding scores. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the assault.