Bomb attack kills 16 including NATO troopers in Afghanistan

A blast in eastern Afghanistan has killed four NATO troopers, two Afghan policemen and ten civilians.

According to reports, the attack was carried out near a medical clinic in the province of Parwan near the Bagram Air Base on Tuesday. Fourteen people were also injured in the attack.

The Taliban has claimed the responsibility for the attack through a text message sent to Reuters. A spokeswoman for the Czech general staff has confirmed that the dead troopers were all Czech.

Over 50 US-led foreign troops, mostly American, have died in Afghanistan so far this year.

The Taliban militants have stepped up their attacks against the government and foreign forces as part of their annual summer offensive. The Taliban has vowed to increase attacks on Afghan forces and US-led troops, their bases, diplomatic missions and vehicle convoys before the drawdown of the US-led mission by the end of the year.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but insecurity continues to rise across the country despite the presence of tens of thousands of US-led troops.

The US-led war in Afghanistan, which has caused record-high civilian and military casualties, has become the longest military conflict in the American history.