Seven killed as Afghan Taliban attack NATO base

At least seven Afghans were killed and 58 got wounded, including children, when Taliban hit a NATO base in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province on Wednesday, officials said.

“The Taliban armed men targeted the compound of NATO-led forces’ Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) at 4:15 p.m. in Ghazni city. Those killed included four Afghan policemen and three civilians in the suicide bombings and gunfight,” Xinhua reported quoting deputy provincial governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi as saying.

The injured included 12 children, four women, seven Polish soldiers with the NATO and several Afghan policemen and civilians, the official said, adding the fighting lasted for about four hours.

NATO’s PRT is a civilian-military body assisting the war-torn country in the rebuilding process. At least two massive bombings took place in the attack in the city, 125 km south of the national capital Kabul.

Four to six militants were involved in the attack, officials said. All the attackers were eliminated.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since the militant group launched offensive in April against Afghan government forces. About 98,000 NATO-led troops are stationed in the country.

-IANS