'Taliban attackers' target US Afghanistan base

There have been "multiple explosions" near an airfield at a US base in eastern Afghanistan, Nato has said.

Afghan intelligence officials told the BBC seven suicide attackers targeted the base in Jalalabad, and witnesses said that gunfire was heard.

All the attackers and one Afghan guard were killed in the attack claimed by the Taliban, the officials said.

Nato is gradually handing security over to Afghan forces ahead of the departure of most combat troops in 2014.

Counter claims

The Afghan officials said the first four attackers in explosive-laden cars had targeted different entrances to the airfield, and three others had then followed on foot and battled security guards.

The force of the explosions is reported to have blown out windows a kilometre away.

Local residents said helicopters had fired on the insurgents, but the fighting - which lasted about 20 minutes - then appears to have stopped, the BBC's Orla Guerin in Kabul reports.

There were no Nato casualties in the attack, officials said.

The Taliban claimed it had carried out the attack, saying the assault was launched at around 06:00 (01:30 GMT) on Sunday.

A Taliban spokesman added some fighters had broken through and fighting was taking place on the airfield.

The insurgents have been battling Nato and Afghan troops for 11 years and still control parts of the east and south.

Nato - which currently has some 130,000 troops in Afghanistan - is due to withdraw combat forces in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, with only training troops remaining.

- BBC