Taliban launches new attack on Nato base
Militants set off a car bomb and stormed the entrance to a major Nato air base in eastern Afghanistan today, an attack which left eight insurgents dead.
The Taliban said it was behind the attack, the third ground assault against a major coalition base in the last five weeks. The attacks have failed to overrun the bases, but showed the Taliban has not been cowed by US efforts to ramp up the war.`
Using light weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, the militants battled US and Afghan forces for 30 minutes around the airport on the outskirts of Jalalabad city today.
An Afghan soldier and one international service member were wounded in the fighting, Nato said.
“They were not able to breach the perimeter. They were fought off by a combination of Afghan and coalition security forces,” German army Brig Gen Josef Blotz, a spokesman for Nato, said.
The airport, which includes a major military base shared by Afghans and the international force, is on a main road that leads to the Pakistani border.
In a text message to reporters in Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said six suicide attackers killed 32 foreign and Afghan security forces at the airport, about 80 miles east of the Afghan capital. The insurgents often claim higher numbers of deaths in their attacks than the official toll.
The Jalalabad attack follows a May 19 ground assault against the giant Bagram airfield north of Kabul and a similar attack three days later against Kandahar airfield in the south.
In a separate incident in eastern Afghanistan, Nato said a US trooper died of wounds sustained in a gunbattle with insurgents. The death brought to 59 the number of American troops who have died in June.
Today also marked the first anniversary of the capture of Spc Bowe W Bergdahl of Hailey, Idaho, the only American service member held prisoner by the insurgents. Bergdahl was discovered missing during his unit’s roll-call the following day.
“Since he was captured on June 30, 2009, it has been a top priority for US and coalition forces to find him, recover him, and bring him home safely,” said Rear Adm Greg Smith, deputy chief of staff for communication. “We continue our efforts to determine his whereabouts and ensure his safe return.”
