At least 140 dead in Taliban attack: officials
KABUL, Afghanistan — The nerve centre of Afghan and NATO combat activities in northern Afghanistan is a sprawling military base in Balkh province. There, thousands of Afghan National Army troops live and train, regional deployments and attacks are planned, and U.S.-supplied helicopters and fighter planes are launched to support Afghan troops battling the Taliban.
On Friday, in a stunning blow to the western-backed war effort, the base on a sun-baked plain near the city of Mazar-e Sharif became the target of the deadliest single attack by Taliban insurgents since their regime in Kabul was overthrown in 2001. A spokesman for the Islamist militia claimed responsibility for the assault.
There were conflicting reports on the number of casualties, but some Afghan officials said Saturday that at least 140 people had been killed and 60 injured when a handful of Taliban fighters, disguised as Afghan military personnel, entered the base in army vehicles and opened fire. A defence ministry spokesman said that only 100 were confirmed dead, however.
Witnesses and survivors said the assailants sprayed gunfire among mostly unarmed Afghan soldiers and officers, many of whom were either just leaving weekly prayers at the Base’s mosque or eating in its canteen.
There were no reports of NATO service members being killed on the base, where a group of German military advisers has been stationed to train and advise Afghan forces.
Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, praised Afghan commandos for bringing an “atrocity to an end.” Afghan President Ashraf Ghani flew to the area Saturday to console victims’ families.
The attack lasted for nearly six hours, with the insurgents firing guns, throwing grenades and detonating suicide bombs, officials and witnesses said. A Taliban statement said four of the attackers were army defectors who had served at the base, and it called the rampage a “prelude” to the militants’ traditional spring offensive.