Taliban insurgents raided a compound used by NATO and Afghan forces on Monday in a gun and truck bomb attack that caused several casualties, an Afghan provincial official said.Assailants opened fire on soldiers manning the compound then drove a bomb-laden truck inside before detonating the explosives, the official from southeast Khost province said.
The attack occurred in Sabri district close to the border with Pakistan, Sabri's district chief, Lutfullah Babakarkheil, told Reuters.
"I know two rooms have been destroyed and there are some casualties," he said.
A spokesman for the Taliban, which leads the insurgency against the government and foreign troops, said members of the group had carried out the attack. The spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, was speaking by telephone from an undisclosed location.
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The base was used by U.S.-led coalition and Afghan security forces, said Major Christine Nelson-Chung, a spokeswoman for the U.S. military in the province.
"As of right now we are not tracking any killed... we believe it was a rocket attack," she said.
Three foreign soldiers were evacuated from the base, said another U.S. military spokesman in Bagram, the hub of the U.S. military. Bagram airbase is to the north of Kabul. "The reports are still coming in," he added.
Residents reported hearing several explosions at the base. Several NATO helicopters were also seen rushing towards the site, witnesses said, adding they saw a number of casualties being taken out from the base in vehicles.