KABUL - Twenty Afghan soldiers were killed and four others are missing in a Taliban ambush on an army outpost early Sunday in eastern Kunar province, local officials said.

One soldier was seriously injured in the attack. The army outpost is located on a mountain in a remote area of Kunar.

The attack took place at 03:30am local time, when nearly 100 Taliban insurgents attacked the army outpost in the Ghazi Abad district of the province, said Abdul Ghani Musamim, the provincial governor's spokesman.

Eight Taliban insurgents were also killed after Afghan forces launched a military operation to clear the area. The clash continues in the area and more Afghan forces have been deployed at the area for supporting, he said.

Before this, the officials had announced that eight soldiers are missing, but four returned to the outpost, said Abdul Habib Sayedkhili, the Provincial Police Chief.

"The soldiers escaped from the outpost when the Taliban insurgents launched the attack, but now they have returned. Four others are still missing," he said.

He said that the Pakistani Taliban is also supporting the Afghan insurgents.

President Hamid Karzai strongly condemned the killing of the soldiers and postponed his official trip to Sri Lanka, said Aimal Faizi, Karzai's spokesman, on his Twitter account.

Karzai in a statement "condemns the terrorist attack in the strongest possible terms and praised the brave soldiers who lost their lives defending and protecting their country's national honors."

Ghazi Abad district shares a border with Pakistan and has been the site of insurgent activity targeting Afghan forces' outposts.

The Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement provided to media organizations.

The attack took place two days after one Afghan policeman was killed and three others were injured during a battle between police and insurgents in the Sorubi District of Kabul.

Kabul has witnessed several explosions and suicide attacks in a spell of winter security setbacks that have worried many as the April elections draw near and foreign troops continue to pack up ahead of their withdrawal in December. (Tolonews)