Taliban Attack on Bagram Air Base Leaves Four Dead

A suicide attack on the NATO air base in Bagram, located north of Kabul, Afghanistan, early on Saturday, November 13, resulted in at least four deaths and 14 injuries. The Taliban claimed responsibility for this suicide attack. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, stated on Saturday that 'this attack, which was planned months in advance, has caused heavy casualties.' The identities of the deceased from this explosion have not yet been announced. Abdul Wahid Siddiq, spokesman for the governor of Parwan province, Afghanistan, told the Associated Press that the number of injured was 18. He informed the French news agency that 'the attacker was an Afghan worker who had been employed at this base.' John Nicholson, an American general at the base, mentioned without details that the explosion was caused by an explosive device and that details are under investigation. Abdul Shakur Qudusi, the governor of the Bagram area, also stated that the explosion occurred near the dining hall of the Bagram base, describing it as 'strong.' The Bagram air base, belonging to U.S. and NATO forces, is the largest international military base in Afghanistan, with approximately 10,000 American soldiers stationed there, according to the French news agency. The attack on Bagram air base comes just two days after an attack on the German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif. In the Taliban's attack on the German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif, which occurred late Thursday with a truck carrying explosives, at least six people were killed and about a hundred others were injured. The Taliban stated that this attack was in retaliation for last week's NATO airstrike in northern Kunduz, which left over 30 civilian casualties. The U.S. military confirmed last week that civilians were likely killed in the airstrike on November 5. The United Nations also announced on November 8 that it is investigating the deaths of dozens of civilians during the U.S. airstrike in northern Afghanistan.