Afghan security service suffers heavy toll in Taliban attack

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Dozens of people killed in a brazen Taliban attack on a military base were members of Afghanistan's intelligence agency, officials said Tuesday, in a severe blow to the government that has lost control of nearly half of the country to the insurgents.

At least 45 people were killed and as many as 70 were wounded by a suicide bomber who drove an armored Humvee packed with explosives at the base in eastern Maidan Wardak province Monday, the officials said.

There were fears the death toll from the daytime assault could increase. The base, which also serves as a training center for pro-government militias, is run by Afghanistan's intelligence service known as the National Directorate for Security, or NDS.

The NDS said its reports show 36 military personnel were killed and 58 were wounded. Though the agency's figures were lower than what provincial officials had reported, it was still an unprecedented casualty toll for the agency, among the best equipped and trained in Afghanistan.

The agency said the suicide bomber had managed to penetrate the gate of the base on the outskirts of Maidan Shar, the provincial capital located about 25 miles from Kabul, even though guards fired at the vehicle.

Khawanin Sultani, a council member in the province, said a main building collapsed from the explosion, which likely contributed to the high casualty toll.

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a statement to the media just hours after the attack and later said its representatives met Monday with U.S. representatives to discuss "ending the invasion of Afghanistan." They met in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office.

The timing of the attack, one of the worst Taliban assaults on Afghan forces in recent years, and the Qatar meeting meant to pave way for talks aimed at resolving Afghanistan's 17-year war, underscored the audacity of the insurgents in the face of stepped-up peace efforts.

The Taliban now hold sway in almost half of Afghanistan and carry out attacks on a daily basis, mainly targeting the country's beleaguered security forces.

After the suicide bomber struck, four other attackers engaged in a shootout with Afghan troops, according to Sultani, the provincial council member. All the attackers were killed, he said.

About 150 military personnel and others were at the base at the time, he said. The targeted pro-government militia had been highly effective in securing the province, especially two key highways linking Kabul with the provinces of Kandahar, Maidan Wardak and Bamyan.

"They had participated in so many operations alongside other security forces and had fought against insurgents," Sultani added.