Taliban attack Nato Afghan bases

Suspected Taliban insurgents have attacked a US military base in the east of Afghanistan, reports say.

Militants attacked the base in Khost province, south-east of the capital Kabul towards the border with Pakistan.

A Taliban spokesman told news agencies that at least 28 fighters were involved, including suicide bombers.

A spokeswoman for the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said the attack was still ongoing but there was no information about casualties.

“There is ongoing activity there, but it is fresh and I can’t give more details,” Lt Commander Katie Kendrick told Reuters news agency.

Local police chief Adbul Hakim Is’haqzai told AFP news agency that the insurgents launched rockets and began shooting at the base in the early hours of Saturday.

The militants had pulled back after a period of fighting, he said, and were now occupying a school near the base.

One local resident, Amir Shah, told AFP: “There are gunshots being heard all around my home. I’m scared of the attackers entering my home and of being bombarded by coalition forces.”

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told journalists that at least 28 heavily armed fighters had been sent to the area, but his claims could not be verified.

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