Taliban claims explosion at NATO air base in Afghanistan killing four

KABUL: The Taliban claimed responsibility for an explosion at the NATO air base at Bagram north of the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday which officials said killed at least four people and wounded 14.

“On November 12, an explosive device was detonated on Bagram Airfield resulting in multiple casualties,” the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement, adding that four people died and approximately 14 were injured.

“Response teams at Bagram continue to treat the wounded and investigate the incident,” the statement said.

There was no immediate word on the identity of the victims.

The Taliban’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack in a message on his Twitter account.

The attack follows a suicide attack on the German consulate in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif late on Thursday night which killed four people and wounded more than 100 others, underlining the precarious security across Afghanistan.

The Taliban said the attack in Mazar-i-Sharif was in retaliation for air strikes near the northern city of Kunduz last week which killed more than 30 civilians.

Details of Saturday’s attack in Bagram remain unclear but local media reported that a man dressed as a labourer gained access to the heavily protected facility before detonating a suicide vest.