Taliban militants said Wednesday they killed four U.S. military troops in a rocket attack targeting the Bagram Air Base just outside Kabul.
The attack occurred late Tuesday, U.S. military officials confirmed in a CBS report. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said they shot two rockets at the base.
The attack came at the same time the militant group agreed to go forward with peace talks with the United States — even opening a political office in Doha to host the talks, CBS said.
Afghani government officials, meanwhile, said on Wednesday that they were canceling talks with the United States — but not because of the attacks. Rather, a statement from the Office of the National Security Council sent to media early in the morning said President Hamid Karzai was putting off talks about a Bilateral Security Agreement because of U.S. failures to craft a consistent message, CBS reported.
“In view of the contradiction between acts and the statements made by the United States of America in regard to the peace process, the Afghan government suspended the negotiations, currently underway in Kabul between Afghan and U.S. delegations,” the statement said, CBS reported.
The statement did not clarify what was meant by the “contradiction,” CBS said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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