Afghanistan: 9 bombers, US soldier killed in Kandahar ISAF base attack

A complex attack, involving a car bomb and gunmen in Western military uniforms with explosives strapped to their bodies, on a US military base left one coalition soldier and nine assailants dead in southern Kandahar province on Monday, officials said.

The brazen attack that occurred in the militancy-plagued Zherai district began around 11am when a suicide bomber ploughed his explosives-laden car into the wall of the joint US-Afghan troops’ forward operating base, the town’s administrative head, Haji Jamal Agha, told Pajhwok Afghan News. He said the attack involved nine attackers and all of them were killed in an exchange of fire with foreign troops. ISAF said it was a complex attack with a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, enemy forces with suicide vests and small arms fire.

The force also confirmed the death of one service member in the attack, saying all other ISAF personnel were accounted for. Javed Faisal, the governor’s spokesman, also confirmed all the nine attackers involved in the coordinated assault had been killed, but he had no further details. 205th Atal Military Corps commander Gen. Abdul Hamid Hamid said the attackers descended from two cars and then of the cars laden with explosives was crashed against a wall of the base. He said the remaining eight attackers, who were dressed in ISAF military uniforms, tried to force their way into the base but failed and were killed by ISAF and Afghan soldiers.

ISAF said the blast caused damages to the outer perimeter of the base and that the base was currently secured and all enemy forces had been killed. Sources said investigations into the incident had been initiated and more details would be shared with media. In a tweet, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it “a coordinated group martyrdom assault.” The attack came three days after 21 people, mostly foreigners, were killed in a similar complex attack on a foreign restaurant in the heart of Kabul.

The Nation Security Council (NSC) on Sunday accused “foreign intelligence services” of being behind the attack in Kabul, saying such complex and sophisticated assault was beyond the ability of ordinary Taliban.