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NATO troops killed in Afghan suicide attack
A suicide bomber wearing an Afghan army uniform has killed five foreign and four Afghan soldiers in an attack on a desert base in the east of the country, the highest toll on NATO-led troops in a single attack for several months.
The attack hit a newly built base in a remote area which stretches between Laghman and Nangarhar provinces.
Home to the 201st Corps of the Afghan army, it is one of the biggest military installations in increasingly volatile eastern Afghanistan.
"In a suicide blast, by an attacker using a military uniform at an army base, four soldiers were killed and eight others including four interpreters were wounded," said Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimy.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement that five foreign soldiers were killed. A spokesman said initial reports indicated the attack was on Forward Operating Base Gamberi, in Laghman province, but confirmed it was the same attack referred to by Azimy. He gave no further details.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in an email statement, saying 12 foreign troops and 14 Afghan soldiers were killed. The group frequently exaggerates casualty figures.
Yesterday, a suicide bomber in police uniform evaded tight security in police Headquarters in Kandahar city and killed Khan Mohammad Mujahid provincial police chief of Kandahar.
