Jalalabad: Militants
injured two security forces personnel in a grenade attack
on Monday on a major NATO airbase at an airport in the eastern
Afghan city of Jalalabad, the local police chief said.
"A few men threw hand grenades at the airport gate and
the troops returned fire and the attackers fled," said Sardar
Sultani, the police chief for Nangarhar province, of which
Jalalabad is the capital.
Two members of the security forces were "slightly
injured", he said, without specifying if they were foreign or
Afghan military or police.
Witnesses had reported seeing explosions, including
rocket fire, at the entrance to the airport.
"There were no gunshots from their side or suicide
attacks ... The explosions were from the grenades," Sultani
said. He said police were hunting the attackers, who may
still be in the area.
An correspondent in Jalalabad said he had heard
gunfire, which lasted between 10 and 15 minutes, coming from
the airport. He said that the shooting had stopped, but
several helicopters were flying over the area.
NATO`s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF)
said it was unable to comment on the attack.
Jalalabad airport, which is heavily protected by US
forces, is a key ISAF airbase.
In November 2010, eight Taliban insurgents, including
one wearing a suicide belt, opened fire at the airport without
inflicting casualties, before being killed.
And in June last year the Taliban attacked the same
base in broad daylight with rocket launchers and a car bomb.
Two foreign soldiers were injured and several militants
killed.
PTI
