The 2016 Bagram bombing took place on November 12, 2016, when a suicide bomber managed to penetrate the security layer of
Bagram Airfield, the largest
U.S. military base in Afghanistan located about 45 km north of
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into #Districts, 22 municipal dist ...
, detonating his vest near a group of soldiers who were en route to Modern Army Combatives Training. Four U.S. citizens were killed (2 soldiers and 2 contractors, while at least 17 others were injured, including 16 Americans and 1 Polish citizen. One injured soldier died a month later from complications due to injuries sustained in the blast raising the total killed to 5.
Attack
According to Abdul Wahid Sediqi, spokesman for the governor of Parwan Province
Mohammad Asim Asim, the attacker was employed by a subcontractor of Virginia-based engineering and construction firm
Fluor Corporation.
He had been constructing the vest over a period of time on the base.
After successfully passing through at least one checkpoint, he approached a sidewalk where a group of soldiers were gathering prior to the Veteran's Day running event, detonated his explosive vest around 05:38 local time.
Two U.S. soldiers and two U.S. private contractors were killed, in addition to the bomber. Among the 17 injured were 16 U.S. service members and one Polish soldier.
The bombing was the deadliest single incident involving U.S. troops since a
December 2015 suicide attack at the same base which killed six troops.
Aftermath
The
Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing in a statement issued by their spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid
Zabihullah Mujahid ( ps, ; ''Ẕabīḥullāh Mujāhid'' ; also spelled Dhabih Allah Mujahid) is an Afghan official Central spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan since 25 October 2021 and Deputy Ministry of Information and Culture s ...
, confirming the sports ground was the intended target, and adding that the attack had been planned for four months.
In response to the bombing, Bagram Airfield was placed under lockdown, while additional security measures were taken at all other locations in Afghanistan for
Resolute Support Mission
Resolute Support Mission (RSM) or Operation Resolute Support was a NATO-led multinational mission in Afghanistan. It began on 1 January 2015 as the successor to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was completed on 28 Decem ...
forces. The
Embassy of the United States in Kabul was closed for the following day as a precautionary measure.
See also
*
German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif attack, a suicide truck bombing that took place two days earlier
*
2007 Bagram Airfield bombing
The 2007 Bagram Airfield bombing was a suicide attack that killed up to 23 people and injured 20 more at the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, while Dick Cheney, the Vice President of the United States, was visiting. The attack occurred inside on ...
*
2014 Bagram Airfield bombing
*
2015 Bagram Airfield bombing
On December 21, 2015, in Bagram, a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing six NATO service members.
Victims
All six of the members killed were of American nationality.
*2015-12-21, Special Agent Adrianna M. Vorderbruggen 97 U.S. Air Force O ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagram Airfield bombing
2016 murders in Afghanistan
Mass murder in 2016
November 2016 crimes in Asia
Parwan Province
Suicide bombings in Afghanistan
Taliban attacks
Terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 2016