A suicide bomber on a motorbike has killed six soldiers and wounded a further six after attacking a joint US-Afghan patrol near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, according to local officials.
The Taliban’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for the attack over Twitter.
He alleged 19 US soldiers had been killed and a number wounded.
The district governor said the group were attacked at about 1pm local time as they were patrolling on foot though Bajawryan village, at least three soldiers and three police were wounded in the attack, the Guardian reports.
NATO headquarters in Kabul confirmed there had been a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack near Bagram Air Base and an investigation into the incident was underway.
The police chief of Parwan province confirmed three Afghan police had been wounded in the attack.
Bagram, 25 miles north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, is one of the main bases for the 9,800 US troops remaining in Afghanistan after international troops ended combat operations last year.
The attack comes just over a week after suicide attacks on Kandahar air base in southern Afghanistan, which left 37 civilians and members of Afghan security force dead, and on a Spanish embassy guesthouse in Kabul.
On Monday, Taliban forces in Helmand took control of the Sangin district after days of fighting, tightening their grip on the southern province.
Helmand deputy governor Mohammad Jan Rasulyar said only Afghan army buildings had not been overrun and fighting continued.
On Sunday, Mr Rasulyar warned President Ashraf Ghani over Facebook Helmand was in danger of falling if central authorities failed to send help.
Additional reporting by various agencies
