The terror group attempted to detonate two car bombs near the base, one of which went off, according to a statement from the provincial media office. Three militants were killed in the incident.
The Taliban claimed responsibility in a message sent to members of the media.
Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, described the situation as a “stalemate” in November. “They are not losing right now, I think that is fair to say.”
The attack, Monday, came hours before the Afghan government indicated they had begun diplomatic negotiations with the United States. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that peace talks involving US representatives began in Qatar Monday and would continue Tuesday.
The US has not publicly confirmed the talks. The State Department’s special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, is just wrapping up a trip to Asia, during which he met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
“We agreed military pressure is essential while we prepare to engage in negotiations for peace,” he said.
“The US and our partners are proud of our longstanding support to Afghan security forces and will continue to do our part to back them.”
The bouts of violence have analysts worried that the security situation in Afghanistan could get worse ahead of this year’s presidential elections in July.
The US military was ordered to begin planning to withdraw about half the troops in Afghanistan, a US defense official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN in December.
John Allen, a retired four-star general who previously commanded the NATO coalition in Afghanistan, said removing troops from Afghanistan could pose a “real crisis.”
“Pulling out right now — just the announcement — would create chaos within the strategy,” Gen. Allen said.
“We’ve got coalition obligations there. The Afghan people have depended on us for some period of time to help them to be prepared to ultimately to deal with the Taliban over a long period, to make peace, to create a credible system of government, to get the economy on its feet again.”
Source : Nbcnewyork
