Taliban car bomb hits army base in eastern Afghanistan

KHOST, Afghanistan: A suicide car bomb detonated near an army base in the eastern Afghan province of Khost on Friday, killing one soldier and wounding several before the army repelled at attack on the base by four gunmen, the district chief said.
The blast, 50 meters from the base, was heard several miles away and damaged several shops, homes and a school, said Akbar Zadran, the chief of Sabari district.
Four gunmen attacked the base but were killed after an hour-long gunbattle, Zadran said.
In a statement, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had caused heavy casualties. The radical movement often exaggerates casualties caused by its operations.
The attack follows an assault on a military air base in Khost province last week, and comes just ahead of the normal start of the spring fighting season, when Taliban insurgents and the Afghan army step up operations.
The Afghan government controls less than 60 percent of the country after territorial gains by the insurgents since NATO-led forces ended their combat operations at the end of 2014.
US and Afghan officials have warned about increased fighting this year as the Taliban look to widen their influence.
The Taliban are seeking to expel foreign troops, defeat the US-backed government and reimpose Islamic law after their 2001 ouster.
The head of US Central Command, General Joseph Votel, this month asked for more American troops to join the roughly 8,400 already stationed in Afghanistan to break the stalemate.