Taliban blitz American base

KABUL  - Taliban killed nine US troops when they overrun an American base as bloody fighting broke out in several parts of Afghanistan on Sunday, reports a British newspaper.

Nato reported that the small American Combat Outpost in Dara-i-Pech district of Kunar province, on the border with Nuristan Province in the east of the country, came under heavy fire at around 4.30am local time, according to The Times.

Heavy fighting continued throughout the day with US forces calling in artillery, fast jets and Apache helicopters.

Nato spokesmen warned of casualties “on both sides”, and it emerged that nine American soldiers were killed, making it one of the biggest single losses in a day for the coalition since military operations began in the country.

“Insurgents have been firing at the COP with small arms, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars using homes, shops and the mosque in the village of Wanat for cover,” said a Nato statement.

The fighting is close to where US forces were accused of killing 15 civilians in an airstrike nine days ago. The governor of Nuristan, Doctor Hazrat Hazratin Noor, told The Times: “The Taliban attacked the US base yesterday (Saturday) and the American planes bombed the area. After the attack, the US troops decided to move their base to the district centre of Wanat and they tried to build shelters there in the bazaar overnight. Now the Taliban have attacked again.”

A spokesman for the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahed, claimed that the Taliban had overrun the American position.