Taliban strikes Afghan, NATO Kandahar bases
20 Jun 2012 1:43 AM GMT
Taliban insurgents struck Afghan and NATO bases in the restive province of Kandahar on Tuesday, after a coalition soldier was killed by attackers in police uniforms, officials said.
Seven suicide attackers stormed a joint Afghan-NATO base in Shah Wali Kot district at around 3:30 am [local time], sparking a 30-minute gun battle that left all the insurgents dead, Kandahar governor spokesman Jawed Faisal said.
NATO's US-led International Security Assistance Force [ISAF] said the attackers breached the outer perimeter of the base but said no coalition soldiers were killed in the incident.
Hours later, four gunmen wearing police uniforms struck a police and NATO base in Kandahar city, triggering a fight in which three officers and all the attackers were killed, provincial police chief General Abdul Raziq told AFP.
Police witnesses said the attackers were sporting all the uniform and equipment a regular officer would have, and were led into the base by a police captain, who fled afterwards. Two other officers were arrested over the attack.
Tuesday's attacks came a day after men wearing Afghan police uniforms opened fire on NATO soldiers in Kandahar, killing one before fleeing.
The attack brought to 23 the number of Western troops killed in this year.
Seven suicide attackers stormed a joint Afghan-NATO base in Shah Wali Kot district at around 3:30 am [local time], sparking a 30-minute gun battle that left all the insurgents dead, Kandahar governor spokesman Jawed Faisal said.
NATO's US-led International Security Assistance Force [ISAF] said the attackers breached the outer perimeter of the base but said no coalition soldiers were killed in the incident.
Hours later, four gunmen wearing police uniforms struck a police and NATO base in Kandahar city, triggering a fight in which three officers and all the attackers were killed, provincial police chief General Abdul Raziq told AFP.
Police witnesses said the attackers were sporting all the uniform and equipment a regular officer would have, and were led into the base by a police captain, who fled afterwards. Two other officers were arrested over the attack.
Tuesday's attacks came a day after men wearing Afghan police uniforms opened fire on NATO soldiers in Kandahar, killing one before fleeing.
The attack brought to 23 the number of Western troops killed in this year.
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