周三早上，塔利班武装分子和美国阿富汗军队在阿富汗最大的美军基地巴格拉姆机场附近爆发了猛烈的交火，持续到下午晚些时候。
根据美国和阿富汗官员的说法，在塔利班今天下午声称的袭击中，针对一个正在建设中的医疗设施的一次大规模自杀爆炸试图突破巴格拉姆机场，造成两名阿富汗平民死亡，70多名平民受伤。交火持续了九个多小时。
枪战持续到周三下午，美国或联军没有人员伤亡。一位坚决支持的发言人说，一些服务人员在最初的袭击中受了轻伤，但没有重大伤害的报道，但后来被释放了。
格鲁吉亚国防部说五名格鲁吉亚军人在袭击中受了轻伤，但伤势不重，没有必要住院治疗。
在早些时候的一份新闻稿中，坚决支持组织的官员表示，武装战士在医疗设施内坚守阵地，但“局势与诊所大楼隔离开来，巴格拉姆机场没有危险，防御周界从未被突破或破坏。”
2019年11月28日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在阿富汗巴格拉姆空军基地对美军进行感恩节突袭，一名美国士兵在空军一号旁边站岗。2019年12月11日，美国驻阿富汗军事基地遭到美国官员所说的自杀式爆炸袭击。
袭击发生之际，大约三个月前，唐纳德·特朗普总统突然取消了在戴维营举行的秘密会议，以促成一项结束美国历时最长的战争的协议，美国和塔利班谈判代表于本周末恢复会谈。特朗普称塔利班袭击杀死陆军中士伊莉斯·巴雷托·奥尔蒂斯是取消和谈的原因。
上个月，特朗普总统在感恩节让巴格拉姆空军基地的美军大吃一惊，他说，“战场上的胜利永远属于你，美国战士。当然，从长远来看，阿富汗和该地区各国的未来不会在战场上决定。”
他补充说:“最终，将会有——需要一个政治解决方案，我们正在与阿富汗总统[·阿什拉夫·加尼合作]我们正在与许多人合作，寻求一个由该地区人民自己决定的政治解决方案。”
周三早晨，在阿富汗上空升起太阳之前，驻扎在美国基地的军队听到了“布拉沃五区的地面攻击”。根据发布在社交媒体上的一段攻击视频，攻击初期，巴格拉姆机场的一个紧急警报系统在炮火和哀鸣的警报声中显示，“庇护所就位”。
国防部一名高级官员证实新闻周刊美国在阿富汗的军事基地成为自杀式炸弹袭击的目标，但无法提供任何进一步的细节。
美联社第一据报告的周二晚些时候，一个美国车队成为袭击目标的消息。目前还不清楚是否有美国军事车队参与其中。
该医疗设施是塔利班武装分子的目标，位于巴格拉姆北角附近的美国机场边界之外。激进分子试图通过一个可以进入美国基地的联合大门进入巴格拉姆。
2019年12月11日，在帕尔万省喀布尔以北，阿富汗最大的美国军队附近，受损建筑被拍到发生汽车爆炸。官员称，12月11日，一枚炸弹在阿富汗最大的美国军事基地附近爆炸，摧毁了巴格拉姆机场附近的房屋和一所在建医院，造成至少一人死亡，数十人受伤。
塔利班武装分子用一辆装有炸药的汽车打破医院大院的钢筋混凝土防爆墙，即所谓的“丁字墙”。
一位坚决支持的发言人说，医院正在重建，以帮助当地的阿富汗人，但未来的医疗设施遭到严重破坏。
随着枪战持续到周三上午晚些时候和下午，阿帕奇攻击直升机和战斗机被召来提供空中掩护，地面攻击仍在继续。
一名坚决支持的发言人在向《新闻周刊》发表的最新声明中说:“塔利班战士在试图闯入巴格拉姆机场失败后仍在战斗，他们在今晚的一系列空袭中丧生。”。"战士们把自己关在周三早上袭击的医疗设施大楼里。"
发言人补充说:“联军在阿富汗安全部队的协调下，通知当地居民并封锁该地区，然后进行空袭，以确保他们的安全。”
据内政部称，在塔利班今天下午声称的袭击中，两名阿富汗平民被打死，70多名平民受伤。
巴格拉姆机场附近的袭击只是美军自2001年10月首次进入阿富汗以来经历的一连串袭击中的最新一起。今年4月，一枚汽车炸弹在基地外爆炸，导致三名美国军人丧生。另外三名美国士兵在同一次袭击中受伤。
周三的袭击发生在一天后华盛顿邮报获得了阿富汗重建特别监察长编写的2000多页政府文件。诅咒报告详细说明了美国官员多年来如何在阿富汗战争中误导公众——自2001年美国领导的入侵开始以来，这场战争已经夺去了2400多名美国军人的生命。
TALIBAN ATTACK CLINIC NEAR AMERICAN BAGRAM AIRFIELD DAYS AFTER AFGHAN PEACE TALKS RESTART
A savage fusillade of gunfire erupted early Wednesday morning and continued into the late afternoon between Taliban militants and U.S.-Afghan forces near Bagram Airfield, the largest American base in Afghanistan.
In a powerful suicide bombing aimed at a medical facility under construction in an attempt to breach Bagram Airfield, two Afghan civilians were killed and more than 70 civilians were wounded during the attack claimed by the Taliban this afternoon, according to both American and Afghan officials. The firefight lasted more than nine hours.
There were no casualties among the American or coalition forces as the gun battle continued into Wednesday afternoon. Some service members were evaluated for minor injuries as a result of the initial attack but no major injuries were reported, but were later released, said a Resolute Support spokesperson.
The Georgian Defense Ministry said that five Georgian servicemen sustained minor injuries in the attack but the injuries were not severe and hospitalization was not necessary.
In an earlier press release, Resolute Support officials said armed fighters stood their ground inside the medical facility, but that the, "situation is isolated to the clinic building and Bagram airfield is not in danger and the defensive perimeter was never breached or compromised."
A U.S. soldier stands guard next to Air Force One as President Donald Trump makes a surprise Thanksgiving day visit to the US troops at Bagram Air Field, on November 28, 2019 in Afghanistan. On December 11, 2019, the U.S. military base in Afghanistan was attacked by what American officials described as a suicide bombing.
The attack comes as talks resumed this weekend between the United States and Taliban negotiators some three months after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled a secret meeting at Camp David to broker a deal to end America's longest war. Trump cited a Taliban attack that killed Army Sergeant First Class Elis Barreto Ortiz, as the reason for calling off the peace talks.
Last month, President Trump surprised American forces at Bagram Air Field over Thanksgiving and said, "Victory on the battlefield will always belong to you, the American warrior. In the long run, of course, the future of Afghanistan and nations across this region will not be decided on the battlefield."
He added: "Ultimately, there will be—need to be a political solution, and we're working with the President [Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan] and we're working with a lot of people right now on a political solution decided by the people of the region themselves."
Before the sun rose over Afghanistan Wednesday morning, military forces stationed at the American base heard, "Ground attack in sector bravo five. Shelter in place," over an emergency alert system at Bagram Airfield in the early stages of the assault amid the barrage of gunfire and whining sirens, according to a video of the attack posted to social media.
A senior Defense Department official confirmed to Newsweek that the American military base in Afghanistan had been targeted by a suicide bombing but was unable to provide any further details.
The Associated Press first reported the news late Tuesday evening that an American convoy had been targeted. It was not immediately clear if a U.S. military convoy was involved.
The medical facility, targeted by Taliban militants, sits just outside the boundaries of the American airfield located near the northern corner of Bagram. Militant attempted to gain access to Bagram via a conjoining gate which can access the American base.
Damaged buildings are pictured at the scene of a car bombing near the largest US military in Afghanistan, north of Kabul in Parwan province, on December 11, 2019. - At least one person was killed and dozens wounded when a bomb exploded close to the largest US military base in Afghanistan on December 11, damaging homes and a hospital under construction near Bagram Airfield, officials said.
Known colloquially as the Korean hospital as it was formerly a South-Korean-run medical facility, Taliban militants used a car rigged with explosives to breach the steel-reinforced concrete blast walls, known as T-walls, of the hospital compound.
The hospital is being rebuilt to help local Afghans but the future medical facility was badly damaged, said a Resolute Support spokesperson.
As the gunfight continued into late Wednesday morning and into the afternoon, Apache attack helicopters and fighter jets were called in to provide air cover as the ground attack continued.
"Taliban fighters who remained after an unsuccessful attempt to breach Bagram Airfield were killed in a series of airstrikes this evening," said a Resolute Support spokesperson in an updated statement to Newsweek. "The fighters barricaded themselves inside the medical facility building they attacked early Wednesday morning."
The spokesperson added: "Coalition forces, in coordination with Afghan Security Forces, informed local residents and blocked off the area before conducting these airstrikes to ensure their safety."
Two Afghan civilians were killed and more than 70 civilians were wounded during the attack claimed by the Taliban this afternoon, according to the Ministry of Interior.
The attack near Bagram Airfield is just the latest in a long string of attacks the U.S. military installation has experienced since American forces first entered Afghanistan in October 2001. In April, a car bomb detonated outside the base resulting in three U.S. service members being killed. Three other American troops were wounded in the same attack.
Wednesday's attack comes a day after The Washington Post obtained more than 2,000 pages of government documents created by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction. The damning report details how U.S. officials have for years misled the public about the war in Afghanistan—a war that has claimed the lives of more than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion began in 2001.
