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| Suicide bomber attacks US-Afghan patrol near Bagram airbase | Suicide bomber attacks US-Afghan patrol near Bagram airbase |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A suicide bomber on a motorbike has attacked a joint US-Afghan patrol near Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, killing five soldiers and wounding six, according to local officials. | |
| The district governor said the group were attacked at about 1pm local time as they were patrolling on foot through Bajawryan village, and that at least three soldiers and three police were also wounded in the attack. | |
| A member of the provincial council confirmed the casualties and said a similar suicide attack against foreign soldiers based at Bagram about two months ago had failed to cause any casualties. | |
| Nato’s headquarters in Kabul confirmed there had been a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack near Bagram airbase and said it was under investigation. | |
| In an emailed statement, the Taliban claimed responsibility. Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahed said the suicide bomber, purportedly named Zahidullah, had been observing the foreign forces in the area and had struck at a suitable time. | |
| Related: Taliban take control of large parts of Sangin | |
| Mujahed, who claimed 19 soldiers had been killed and a number wounded, also said the attack was part of the Taliban’s Azm, or “Resolve”, fighting campaign, launched in the spring. The Taliban are known to exaggerate casualties of their attacks. | |
| The police chief of Parwan province said three Afghan police had been wounded in the attack. He said he was not authorised to give details on foreign troop casualties. | The police chief of Parwan province said three Afghan police had been wounded in the attack. He said he was not authorised to give details on foreign troop casualties. |
| Bagram, about 25 miles to the north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, is one of the main bases for the 9,800 US troops left in Afghanistan after international troops ended combat operations last year. | Bagram, about 25 miles to the north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, is one of the main bases for the 9,800 US troops left in Afghanistan after international troops ended combat operations last year. |
| The largest international military base in Afghanistan, it has been targeted in several attacks this year. In September, a Georgian soldier was killed in an insurgent attack on the base and in June, a US civilian working at the base was killed in what the defence department termed an “indirect fire incident”. | |
| Monday’s attack comes just over a week after suicide attacks on Kandahar airbase in southern Afghanistan and on a Spanish embassy guesthouse in Kabul, underlining the Taliban’s ability to hit high-profile targets linked to the US-backed government. | |
| On Monday, Taliban forces in Helmand closed in on the district of Sangin as they tightened their grip on the volatile southern province. | On Monday, Taliban forces in Helmand closed in on the district of Sangin as they tightened their grip on the volatile southern province. |