Afghan security forces arrive near the site of a suicide attack in Bagram, north of Kabul, Afghanistan December 11, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail
December 11, 2019
By Abdul Qadir Sediqi
KABUL (Reuters) – Suicide blasts in Afghanistan killed one person and injured more than 60 in an attack on Wednesday on the United States’ main military base of Bagram that was repulsed after a 30-minute clash, Afghan and NATO officials said.
The attack comes as the United States looks to revive stalled peace talks with Taliban militants who control more territory than at any point since being ousted from power by coalition forces in 2001.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday’s blast, but a provincial official said the casualties were all Afghans.
“A 30-minute clash also happened between the attackers, who obviously wanted to enter the base, and foreign forces,” Wahida Shahkar, a spokeswoman for the governor of Parwan province, where the base is located, told Reuters.
Two attackers detonated vehicles laden with explosives at the southern entrance to the base, while five opened fire. It was not immediately clear how many of the five gunmen were killed, Shahkar said.
The attack was “quickly contained and repelled” and there were no U.S. or coalition casualties, but a medical base being built for locals was badly damaged, Resolute Support, the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement.
(Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi; Writing by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
