Afghan Taliban killed in attack on NATO base

Afghan and NATO-led troops killed at least 60 Taliban fighters during an attack on a base in a southeastern Afghan province that borders Pakistan, local officials said.

According to Reuters, the Intenational Security Assitance Force (ISAF) confirmed that there had been an attack on a base in the Barmal district of the Paktika province on Tuesday.

According to an ISAF spokesman, a large group of insurgents attacked the base using small arms and rocket-proplled grenades. ISAF troops fought back, causing "significant" casualties among the insurgents, Voice of America News reported.

The fighting lasted for less than two hours, and American soldiers took no casualties.

Paktikia province lies on the border with Pakistan's tribal areas, where the Taliban and other militant groups like the Haqqani network have found safe havens.

The American base has become a target for Haqqani network insurgents, the Washington Post reported. It was the third major attack on the base in little over a year.

"It's a base the insurgents generally don't like," Col. Edward T. Bohnemann, the American brigade commander said during an interview earlier in the month to the Washinton Post.  

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