50 US troops hurt in Afghan NATO base

A bomb attack on a military base used by the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Afghanistan has wounded at least 50 American soldiers, the US army says.

A bomber driving a truck attacked Combat Outpost Sayed Abad in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Wardak late on Saturday, AFP reported.

On Sunday, US Army spokesman Major David Eastburn said that 50 American soldiers were among a total of 89 people injured in the attack.

“It happened at 5:15 pm on Saturday. It detonated near the entry point at a combat outpost, resulting in 89 wounded in action and a 20-foot [six-meter] hole in the wall,” Eastburn said.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, saying scores of US soldiers were killed in the attack.

August 2011 became the deadliest month for US troops in the decade-long war in Afghanistan with 66 American soldiers killed in the month.

On August 6, at least 31 US Special Forces were killed after Taliban militants shot down an American helicopter belonging to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Wardak Province.

The security situation remains fragile in Afghanistan despite the presence of about 150,000 US-led foreign forces in the war-torn country.

The increasing number of troop casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.