Death toll jumps to 50 in Kandahar airport siege

Afghan National Army soldiers inspect buildings after clashes with the Taliban insurgents, on December 9, 2015, at Kandahar Airport, a sprawling complex which also houses a joint NATO-Afghan base. - AFP / Jawed Tanveer

Kandahar (Afghanistan) (AFP) - The death toll from a 27-hour Taliban siege of Kandahar airport has jumped to 50, Afghan officials said on Thursday, after a conference in Pakistan shored up international support for reviving peace talks.

Eleven suicide attackers on Tuesday breached the high-security complex which also houses a joint NATO-Afghan base, taking families hostage and triggering firefights with soldiers.