Ten British soldiers were wounded after a Taliban suicide attack in Afghanistan’s Hemland province according to The Telegraph.
The truck bomb and small arms fire are just the latest in a number of attacks the since 2006. The British have faced a substantial amount of fight in Nad-e Ali. The attack on British troops was followed by a car bombing at a police station in the city of Jalalabad.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Afghanistan at the time of the attack. Kerry is scheduled to visit President Hamid Karzai to discuss the transition period as American troops are scheduled to leave in 2014. Kerry’s objective is to make sure relations between the two sides stay intact through the change. There has been speculation as to the strength of Karzai’s commitment to a partnership with the United State. The Afghan president has publicly spouted a series of comments in opposition to the U.S.
As U.S. troops prepare to go, increasing pressure will be put on Afghan forces. These attacks are proof of the potential struggles they will face.
According to local officials, the Taliban strike was two-fold. First a minivan filled with explosives was detonated. Next, member of the extremist group engaged in firefight with British forces as they tried to invade the base.
“There was a suicide bomber in a van who blew himself up and 10 Taliban entered the base,” said Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid. The group took responsibility for Monday’s assault.
“We can confirm that last night in Nad-e Ali district, Helmand province, insurgents attacked a combined Afghan and Isaf patrol base with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and small arms fire. A number of insurgents were killed,” said a statement from the North Atlantic Treaty Organizaition’s International Security and Assistance Force. “Several ISAF service members were wounded in the attack, one seriously. The base is currently secure and fully operational."
