A suicide bombing claimed by the Taliban killed three Czech soldiers on patrol in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the deadliest assault on NATO troops for many months. "Three Resolute Support service members were killed by a suicide bomber during a combined, dismounted patrol with Afghan forces in eastern Afghanistan," NATO's Resolute Support mission said in a statement. In Prague, the military said the dead soldiers were Czech.
A US member of the patrol and two Afghan soldiers were wounded, NATO added. The attack by a lone bomber on foot happened at 6am in the city of Charikar in Parwan province 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of Kabul, said provincial governor's spokesman Wahida Shahkar. The Taliban in a statement claimed responsibility, saying they killed or wounded eight American soldiers in a "tactical explosion".
The Czech army said in a statement that three of its soldiers, a staff sergeant and two corporals, were killed in the explosion. "The tragic death of our three soldiers has struck me deeply, and I wish to express my deepest condolences to their families," said Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar. Thirteen Czech soldiers have now been killed in Afghanistan. The NATO force largely ended its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2014 and pulled out the bulk of its troops.