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At Least Six Americans Killed in Afghan Attack
At least six Americans were killed Wednesday when a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest made his way into an American base in southeastern Afghanistan, according to NATO officials.The bomber managed to elude security and reach an area near the bases gym, said one official, who did not want to be identified because the official was not authorized to speak about the incident. It was not clear if the bomber entered the gym. One official confirmed that the attack took place in Khost Province at Forward Operating Base Chapman, which the official described as not a regular base, suggesting that it was used by American intelligence agencies. The suicide bomber died in the blast and six Americans were also wounded, some of them seriously, and the death toll could climb, the officials said. It was not clear that those killed and wounded were military personnel. Even by the standards of a war characterized by a rising number of American and NATO casualties, the attack was an especially deadly one for Americans in Afghanistan, which in addition to soldiers include a growing number of civilian contractors employed in reconstruction and intelligence operations. That the bomber managed to breach a secure base tasked with potentially sensitive operations also made it a particularly audacious attack. Posted by: tipper 2009-12-30 |
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