Blast near Afghan military base, casualties: source

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KABUL (Reuters) – An explosion outside a military base used by foreign forces in southeastern Afghanistan killed “some people” and wounded at least four Afghan soldiers on Sunday afternoon, an Afghan military source said.

It was not clear how many people died in the incident in Gardez, capital of Paktia province, or whether they were civilian or troops, said the source. He asked not to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media on the subject.

A spokesman for the Taliban said a suicide bomber from the insurgent group had carried out the attack and killed 19 local and foreign soldiers. The group often inflates casualties among Afghan and foreign troops when reporting attacks.

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said there had been an incident in Gardez but declined to comment further.

(Reporting by Sayed Salahuddin and Jonathon Burch; Editing by Emma Graham-Harrison)

Source: Reuters US Online Report World News