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| Taliban bomb kills six foreign soldiers in Afghanistan | Taliban bomb kills six foreign soldiers in Afghanistan |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A suicide vehicle bomb attack on a patrol near a base at Bagram in eastern Afghanistan has killed six foreign soldiers and injured six other people. | |
| Nato, which leads the international force in Afghanistan, did not give the nationalities of the victims. | Nato, which leads the international force in Afghanistan, did not give the nationalities of the victims. |
| In a separate incident, the US embassy said a US citizen had been killed in the capital Kabul. | In a separate incident, the US embassy said a US citizen had been killed in the capital Kabul. |
| And in Helmand province, Taliban militants have laid siege to a police headquarters. | |
| Some 12,000 foreign soldiers are deployed as part of the Resolute Support international coalition, which is meant to underpin Afghanistan's own security forces. | |
| The soldiers taking part are from Nato states and Nato partners. | |
| 'Motorcycle bomber' | |
| The attack at Bagram, the biggest US military facility in Afghanistan, happened at around 13:30 local time (09:00 GMT). | |
| It appears the bomber was riding a motorcycle or another vehicle. | |
| Brig Gen William Shoffner, head of public affairs at the Resolute Support base in Kabul, confirmed six deaths and said three foreign soldiers had also been wounded. | |
| "We're deeply saddened by this loss," he said. "Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of those affected in this tragic incident, especially during this holiday season." | |
| A spokesman for the governor of Parwan province, where Bagram is located, told the BBC three Afghan police officers had also been wounded in the attack. | |
| The Taliban said it had carried out the attack in statements to media. | |
| Helmand siege | |
| In Kabul, police told the BBC a mullah killed had killed US citizen Lisa Akbari while she was attending a local gym. The mullah was arrested. | |
| In Helmand, police commander Mohammad Dawood said his officers had been surrounded in the town of Sangin, and, without urgent help, risked being "captured alive". | |
| Helmand has seen fierce clashes in recent months, with large areas of the province being held by the Taliban. | |
| The province is a key Taliban base and an area of opium cultivation - the province has seen some of the fiercest clashes between Nato-led forces and the Taliban. | |
| More than 450 UK military personnel died during a 13-year combat mission in Afghanistan, including more than 100 in Sangin. | |
| UK forces ended combat operations in October last year. | |
| Officials there have warned the whole of the southern province could fall. |