Suicide bombers hit U.S. Afghan base

Afghanistan : A wave of Taliban suicide bombers backed by gunmen attempted to breach the defences of the main U.S. base for southeastern Afghanistan overnight, Afghan and NATO officials said on Tuesday.

NATO troops were still fighting the remaining Taliban insurgents after they were driven back to some houses in a nearby village, the provincial governor said. The Afghan Defence Ministry said 13 suicide bombers were killed.

A suicide bomber killed 10 Afghan civilians and wounded 13 more outside the same base on Monday.

The attacks on Camp Salerno, close to the Pakistan border, are the most brazen on a major foreign base for some time and point to a greater confidence among Taliban militants who have stepped up their insurgency this year.

A group of 30 Taliban fighters, among them six suicide bombers, attacked Camp Salerno overnight, close to the town of Khost, Provincial Governor Arsala Jamal told reporters.

Camp Salerno is a large, sprawling base with a runway and helicopter landing pads and is the main hub for ISAF and U.S.-led coalition forces operating in southeastern Afghanistan.

Khost, Tuesday, Reuters