Taliban militants killed on Wednesday at least 30 Afghan soldiers in an attack on two checkpoints in the western province of Badghis, the provincial governor said, their first major attack since a ceasefire for the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The three-day Taliban ceasefire ended on Sunday. Provincial governor Abdul Ghafoor Malikzai said the Taliban attack happened in the early hours. Abdul Aziz Bek, head of the Badghis provincial council, said one military base was targeted, in the district of Balamerghab. “Large numbers of Taliban came from several directions,” Bek said. “After hours of heavy fighting 30 Afghan security forces were killed and the Taliban captured the base.” Fifteen Taliban were killed in other areas of the province overnight, he said, adding that the militants prepared their attacks and did reconnaissance of the area during their ceasefire. In a separate report from the same province, the Taliban launched another attack on a local police checkpoint, killing one and wounding four others in Ob Kamari district, Beg added. Naqibullah Amini, spokesman for the Badghis police, confirmed the death of 30 soldiers and said the Taliban killed four soldiers in separate attacks on security checkpoints in the same district. The government also called a ceasefire for the holiday and Taliban fighters headed into cities across the country over the weekend as both sides celebrated the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. President Ashraf Ghani extended his unilateral ceasefire, initially due to end on Wednesday, by 10 days. Some have criticized his ceasefire, which allowed the Taliban to freely enter government-held areas, including the capital, Kabul. “The consequences could be disastrous,” a senior Western diplomat in Kabul said this week. The Taliban are fighting to oust US-led NATO forces and defeat Ghani’s US-backed government after their ouster by US-led forces in 2001.