Taliban Car Bomb Attacks US Base in Afghanistan

Four Afghan Guards Reported Killed in Attack

by Jason Ditz,

Taliban forces have carried out a suicide car bombing attack against the US military base Camp Chapman in Afghanistan’s Khost Province today, killing four Afghan security guards and wounding six others, according to police. The US has denied any coalition casualties in the incident.

Camp Chapman is among the oldest US bases in occupied Afghanistan, and was the site of a major CIA spying operation in the country until a high-profile 2010 attack on the base by a Jordanian double-agent. The base has remained secretive since then, though its exact mission is unclear.

The Taliban confirmed that the attack was their doing, referring to the site as a “mercenary base.” The attack coincided with the visit of Defense Secretary James Mattis to Afghanistan, and while he wasn’t at the base, the attack still underscores the inability of US and NATO forces to secure their own facilities.

This is doubly important right now, just days after the Taliban carried out their biggest attack on the Afghan military of the entire war, there are growing doubts about the ability to defend against major Taliban attacks. Today’s attack just adds to those doubts.

http://news.antiwar.com/2017/04/24/taliban-car-bomb-attacks-us-base-in-afghanistan/