(Reuters) - Foreign and Afghan troops killed 24 insurgents as they fought off pre-dawn attacks on two bases in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, with the Taliban saying suicide bombers the fighters. The attacks targeted the U.S. military's Forward Operating Base Chapman and nearby Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province near the eastern border with Pakistan, where U.S. and other foreign forces have been stepping up operations against a resurgent Taliban.Seven Central Intelligence Agency officers were killed by a suicide bomber inside Chapman last December, the second-most deadly attack in CIA history.Despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
(Reuters) - Foreign and Afghan troops killed 24 insurgents as they fought off pre-dawn attacks on two bases in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, with the Taliban saying suicide bombers the fighters.
The attacks targeted the U.S. military's Forward Operating Base Chapman and nearby Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province near the eastern border with Pakistan, where U.S. and other foreign forces have been stepping up operations against a resurgent Taliban.
Seven Central Intelligence Agency officers were killed by a suicide bomber inside Chapman last December, the second-most deadly attack in CIA history.
Despite the presence of almost 150,000 foreign troops, violence across Afghanistan is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001.
KABUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government on Saturday termed the U.S. media reports that some officials are on the payroll of United States intelligence agency CIA as baseless and denounced it. "Afghanistan believes that such baseless propaganda would not strengthen the alliance on terror, rather would have negative impact in this field," a statement released by Presidential Palace said. New York Times and the Washington Post, according to the statement, had reported recently that half of Afghan officials particularly in the Presidential Palace are on the payroll of CIA.
KABUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government on Saturday termed the U.S. media reports that some officials are on the payroll of United States intelligence agency CIA as baseless and denounced it.
"Afghanistan believes that such baseless propaganda would not strengthen the alliance on terror, rather would have negative impact in this field," a statement released by Presidential Palace said.
New York Times and the Washington Post, according to the statement, had reported recently that half of Afghan officials particularly in the Presidential Palace are on the payroll of CIA.
