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U.S.-Afghan Base Attacked By Taliban

Lauren Foliart |
December 2, 2012 | 9:15 a.m. PST

Executive Producer

 

The suicide bombing sparked a gun battle that last nearly two hours with U.S. helicopters firing down on militants (Creative Commons).
The suicide bombing sparked a gun battle that last nearly two hours with U.S. helicopters firing down on militants (Creative Commons).
Taliban suicide bombers attacked a shared U.S.-Afghan air base in the eastern city of Kabul early Sunday, triggering explosives at the gate igniting a gun battle for over two hours.

At least five Afghans were killed, officials said, along with the assailants.  There have been no reports of U.S. casualties.  

It was the largest assault on the Jalalabad air base since February, when a similar attack killed nine Afghans, including six civilians, and left 12 wounded.        

Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban representative in communication with western media teams, took responsibility for the attack in a telephone call to CNN.

The attack began just after sunrise when two vehicles packed with explosives approached the air base's main gate.  The first blew up at the gate.  Guards began shooting the second vehicle before it exploded two, leaving it unclear as to whether the bomb detonated by itself of as a result of the firearm shots.

The NATO military collation called the attack a failure.  

"We can confirm insurgents, including multiple suicide bombers, attacked Jalalabad Airfield this morning. None of the attackers succeeded in breaching the perimeter," Lt. Col. Hagen Messer, a spokesman for the international military coalition, said in an email to the Associated Press.

Reports showed one member of the Afghan security forces was killed and several foreign troops were wounded, but Messer did not give numbers or details.

Reach Executive Producer Lauren Foliart here.



 

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