WASHINGTON — Defense officials say four US troops were killed Tuesday at or near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.
Officials say the four were killed by indirect fire, likely a mortar or rocket, but they had no other details.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details on the deaths.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the insurgents fired two rockets into the base outside the Afghan capital, Kabul, late on Tuesday.
The attack comes as US and allied forces formally handed over control of the country's security to the Afghan army and police in a ceremony in Kabul. The transition to Afghan-led security means US and other foreign combat troops will not be directly carrying the fight to the insurgency, but will advise and back up the Afghan forces as needed with air support and medical evacuations.
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A US soldier walks on the tarmac to board a US helicopter Chinook at the Bagram Airport.
REUTERS
Afghan President Hamid Karzai
Meanwhile, the Afghan president on Wednesday suspended talks with the United States on a new security deal to protest the way his government was being left out of initial peace negotiations with the Taliban meant to find a way to end the nearly 12-year war.
The move by Hamid Karzai raises tensions significantly and could derail the peace process even before it has begun.
In a terse statement from his office, Karzai said negotiations with the US on what American and coalition security forces will remain in the country after 2014 have been put on hold. The deal was expected to define the future of American troops here and also pave way for billions in aid to the Afghan economy.
Karzai's statement followed an announcement Tuesday by the US and the Taliban that they would pursue bilateral talks in Qatar before the Afghan government was brought in.
"In view of the contradiction between acts and the statements made by the United States of America in regard to the peace process, the Afghan government suspended the negotiations, currently underway in Kabul between Afghan and US delegations on the bilateral security agreement," Karzai's statement said.
His spokesman was not immediately reachable for questions, and the US Embassy in Kabul said it had no immediate comment.
Though the Taliban have dismissed Karzai as an American puppet for years, they indicated Tuesday when opening a new political office in Doha, Qatar, that they would be willing to talk with the Afghan leader.
But both the American side and the Taliban said they would first meet together before any talks with the Afghanistan government.
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