Suicide Bomber Attacks NATO Base in Afghanistan, Kills 3

Officials in Afghanistan say a suicide car bomber struck near a military base at the international airport in Kabul early Tuesday, killing three civilians and wounding six.

Photo: Suicide Bomber Attacks NATO Base in Afghanistan, Kills 3

Suicide Bomber Attacks NATO Base in Afghanistan, Kills 3

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast, which also wounded an international soldier.

The airport is used by civilians as well as foreign troops operating in the country. The bombing took place outside the gate on the military side, VOA News reports.

"It was a suicide attack outside the main gate of the military base at the airport," said Colonel Koziel Bart, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

Bart said the airbase had been sealed off. Military air traffic resumed after an hour-long suspension.

Jan Agha, a shopkeeper in the area, said: "I was sitting in my shop when I saw three SUV vehicles heading towards the ISAF airport,"AFP reports.

The explosion occurred at 8:20 a.m. outside the entrance to the air facility operated by the International Security Assistance Force, the NATO-led coalition that has deployed about 100,000 troops.

More than 62,000 American soldiers are serving in Afghanistan, 29,000 of them under NATO command. Coalition flights operate from the base, located at the eastern end of Kabul’s main international airport.

General Sayedzada said the bomber drove a Toyota Surf, a sports utility vehicle, packed with explosives.

A witness at the scene said, “I saw two American soldiers lying on the ground in blood,” along with six injured Afghan civilians.

NATO officials had no immediate comment, New York Times informs.