A group armed insurgents attacked a U.S. base in the Torkham area of Mohmand Dara District near the Pakistani border on Monday morning. The attack involved a suicide bomb, rocket attacks and a protracted gun-battle that left the three attackers dead, dozens of fuel tanks and a supply vehicles destroyed and the Kabul-Jalalabad road closed for six hours.
In a statement, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) confirmed the attack and said that no NATO personnel were killed.
"Our initial assessment of this (Monday) morning's events, which occurred in the vicinity of a forward operating base located in Nangarhar province, is that it was an attempted but unsuccessful coordinated attack by enemy forces. There were three enemy forces killed during the attack. We can confirm that no ISAF personnel were killed as a result of this incident. We are still assessing situation and will release more information as it becomes available," the statement said.
Isa Khan Zawak, Governor of Mohmand Dara district, said that the attack began in a parking zone belonging to the U.S., which explained the heavy damage caused to fuel tankers and supply vehicles. He added that the Afghan Border Police (ABP) played a key role in supporting the NATO troops in subduing the attackers, who held out for nearly four hours.
According to reports, the insurgents were eventually eliminated by aerial assault. Although more details were not given, it is likely that helicopters were involved and ultimately gave the Aghan and foreign forces advantage over the attackers.
"At least 41 vehicles of ISAF were destroyed, and there are reports that explosives were placed on several other vehicles as well so we trying to neutralize them," said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, the Spokesman of the Nangarhar Governor's office. "A car full of explosives was discovered by the security forces and the explosives were neutralized."
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released to the media. The statement claimed that the attack had resulted in the destruction of "166 tanks" and "94 supply vehicles" as well as the deaths of dozens of foreign troops and "puppets," the name the Taliban often uses to describe members of the Afghan security forces.