Two US soldiers killed in Taliban attack on military base

Jul 4, 2009, 8:53 GMT

   Kabul, - At least two US soldiers were killed and four others injured in an attack on a military base in south-eastern Afghanistan, local officials said Saturday.

Taliban rebels attacked a US military base in Zhirok district of Paktika province in the morning, detonating a fuel tanker filled with explosives, provincial governor's spokesman Hamidullah Zhwak told the German Press Agency dpa.

   The heavy explosion was followed by fighting that began at 6:30 am and lasted four hours, he said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said eight tons of explosives were used in the attack. He said 20 Taliban militants took part in the operation, and that seven of them were killed.

   The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed in a statement that two of its soldiers were killed in Paktika, but it said the cause was a roadside bomb blast.

   Earlier, an ISAF spokesperson said four soldiers were also wounded in the Paktika incident.

   Elsewhere in the same province, a helicopter contracted by the US military made an emergency landing Saturday due to 'mechanical issues' with no harm to the crew, the military said. But the Taliban spokesman said their fighters shot it down with a rocket-propelled grenade.

'A short time later, a small group of unidentified individuals were seen removing items from the helicopter and running away. Minutes later, the helicopter burst into flames, causing unrecoverable damage to the helicopter and its cargo,' a US military statement said.

   Paktika in southeastern Afghanistan has been the scene of several attacks on foreign troops during the week. A US soldier was captured by the Taliban on Tuesday and foreign forces were still looking for him.

   ISAF troops also said one soldier was killed by roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan. It did not disclose nationality of the victim or the location.

   Saturday's fighting came amid a massive military offensive by US Marines in Helmand province.

The Taliban vowed that thousands of its fighters would fight back, but a military spokesman said that there had only been limited resistance so far.

Up to 4,000 Marines, backed by NATO aircraft and a 650-man Afghan force, were moving into towns across the province.