Taliban kill 4 US troops before Doha talks

KABUL insurgents fired two rockets into the Bagram airbase in central Parwan province, the rebels claimed on Wednesday.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the rockets hit their target, killing four US soldiers and injuring six others. He claimed the last night attack also caused a “major fire”.

The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) has confirmed four service members were killed in the rocket fire.

The Americans were killed hours after the US said its special representative for Afghanistan, Ambassador James Dobbins, is heading to Qatar on Tuesday to open talks with the Taliban.

The Taliban opened their political office in Doha on Tuesday, when the final tranche of the security transition from NATO-led troops to Afghan forces began.

President Karzai said on Wednesday he has suspended talks with the US on a bilateral security agreement to protest the way the Americans are reaching out to the Taliban in Doha.

So far this year, 91 international soldiers, including 68 Americans, have been killed in Afghanistan. Last year’s death toll for ISAF was 402.

myn/ma

Visits: 1