Taliban attack on NATO base repelled

Taliban forces launched an attack on a NATO base in Afghanistan on June 30. The attack was subsequently repelled, with eight Taliban fighters killed. The raid, the third such attack in five weeks, was carried out with a car bomb and rocket-propelled grenades. A Taliban spokesperson said that there were six initial suicide attackers, and a total of eight were killed in the initial attack and the gun battle that followed.

A German Army official, Brigadier General Josef Blotz, said that the Taliban "were not able to breach the perimeter. They were fought off by a combination of Afghan and coalition security forces." The attack occurred at an air base in the eastern part of Afghanistan, near the city of Jalalabad. The base is home to both Afghan and international troops.

According to commentators, attacks such as this have become increasingly utilized by the Taliban; all three of the largest bases in Afghanistan have been attacked in recent months. They generally result in higher levels of casualties when compared with other forms of attacks.