Insurgents take aim at Bagram Air Base; Army says 7 attackers killed

Kabul, Afghanistan (News Today) - Seven insurgents were killed early Wednesday during an attack on Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, an Army spokesman said.

Five service members were wounded in the attack and a building suffered minor damage, Lt. Col. Clarence Counts said. He characterized the attack as "on-going" and said it "included rockets, small arms and grenades."

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that 20 armed men wearing suicide vests stormed the base at around 4 a.m. (7:30 p.m. ET), with four of them detonating at the entrances to allow the other men to move in. Mujahid said that a "major firefight" was going on inside the base.

But Army Specialist Christina Dion, a spokeswoman who both lives and works on the base, said that personnel were ordered to bunkers when the base came under attack and were allowed to return to their huts and tents about 90 minutes later.

"We're always prepared to deal with attacks on our base," Counts said. "The response this morning was immediate."

Bagram is a heavily fortified base, its perimeter guarded by high fences and thick, concrete walls. Dion said she didn't believe anyone could have made their way into the main portion of the base.

Taliban fighters have lobbed rockets into the base in previous attacks.

Source : CNN

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