Taliban bomb kills six foreign soldiers in Afghanistan

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.

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.

BBC