VOA News
Ayaz Gul
December 21, 2015
ISLAMABAD—NATO says a suicide blast has killed six of its soldiers and wounded three others near Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, the biggest U.S. military facility in the war-torn country. U.S. defense officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Americans are among those killed in what was one of the deadliest attacks on foreign soldiers this year.
Earlier, a spokesman for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, Colonel Michael Lawhorn, spoke to VOA about the Monday afternoon attack.
“I can confirm that six Resolute Support service members died as a result of a vehicle-born improvised explosive device attack in Bagram, Afghanistan at approximately 1:30 p.m. [local time] In addition three Resolute Support members were also injured in the attack,” said Lawhorn.
He added the incident is under investigation.
The Taliban swiftly claimed responsibility and saying at least 19 people were killed, mostly U.S. soldiers, though the insurgent group is notorious for exaggerating the casualty figures.
In a statement sent to journalists, a Taliban spokesman said a suicide bomber riding a motorbike carried out the attack.
The Bagram airfield is located at around 40-kilometers north of the Afghan capital, Kabul. It is one of several air bases for some 10,000 American soldiers engaged in training and advising local security forces in addition to conducting counter-terrorism operations.
Monday’s attack comes nearly two weeks after a group of heavily armed Taliban suicide bombers stormed a southern Kandahar air base, also housing U.S. soldiers. he siege lasted for more than 29 hours in which more than 54 people, mostly Afghan civilians were killed.
The Taliban later said the assault was part of its plans to mount attacks on all U.S.-controlled bases in Afghanistan.
The Islamist insurgency, meanwhile, has stepped up attacks in its bid to seize control of the southern Helmand province, though Afghan officials claimed to have reversed the Taliban gains in Monday’s counter attacks. But it is not possible verify either claim because of the volatile security situation in the poppy-growing Afghan province for the past several months.