5 ISAF troops among 9 killed in suicide attack

JALALABAD (PAN): Five foreign troops and four Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers were killed during a suicide attack in the eastern province of Laghman on Saturday, officials said.

The bomber struck at the 201st ANA Corps in the morning, causing casualties to soldiers. Four bodies and eight injured Afghan soldiers were brought to the Nangarhar Civil Hospital, a doctor on duty confided to Pajhwok Afghan News.

Five International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) servicemembers also died in the assault, the military alliance said in a statement, without giving nationalities of the victims.  “It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.”

Saturday’s causalities bring to 127 the number of international soldiers killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of the current year.

In Kabul-led troops.

Azimi said the assailant in a military uniform detonated his explosive vest at about 7:30 am at the entrance to the newly-built joint base in Gambirai area. The scene was cordoned off by troops.

A statement from the ministry confirmed that four Afghan army soldiers were killed and eight others, including four local interpreters with ISAF troops, were wounded in the attack.

As usual, Taliban insurgents asserted responsibility for the attack that came a day after the Kandahar police chief was killed along with two guards in a similar assault on the police headquarters in the southern province.

Rebel spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the bomber belonged to the central province of Daikundi. “He joined the Afghan army a month back to conduct the suicide attack.”

A dozen foreign and 14 Afghan soldiers were killed in the bombing, Mujahid said in a statement, which added a number of soldiers were wounded in the blast.

mrh/mud

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