The 2016 Bagram bombing took place on November 12, 2016, when a suicide bomber managed to penetrate the security layer of

Bagram Airfield Bagram Airfield-BAF, also known as Bagram Air Base , is located southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It is under the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Sitting on the site of the ancient Bagram at an elevation of above sea leve ...

, 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 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

, 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 Eng. Mohammad Asim Asim ( prs, محمدعاصم عاصم) is a politician in Afghanistan. He is a former governor of Parwan Province from 8 June 2015 till 4 February 2018. Early life and education Asim was born 1958 in Khinjan District, Baghla ...

, the attacker was employed by a subcontractor of Virginia-based engineering and construction firm

Fluor Corporation Fluor Corporation is an American multinational engineering and construction firm headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is a holding company that provides services through its subsidiaries in the following areas: oil and gas, industrial and infrastru ...

. 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 The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

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 si ...

, 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.

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

Attack

Aftermath

See also

References