U.S. Military Shocked By Today's Suicide Attack That Claimed 6 American Soldiers In Afghanistan

Nancy Youssef, Daily Beast: Worst Attack in 18 Months Shocks U.S. Military

The Taliban weren't supposed to able to get to American forces like this. But somehow, a suicide bomber, riding a motorcycle, just took out a half-dozen U.S. troops.

Six U.S. troops were killed while on patrol in Afghanistan. It marked the deadliest day for American forces in nearly 18 months, and signaled that a resurgent Taliban was on the move in what was supposed to be the waning year of the war.

Another three Afghan troops who were on patrol with their American counterparts were injured.

The Taliban reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack, which left U.S. military officials scrambling to figure out how the Taliban could’ve taken out so many troops at once.

WNU Editor: The Pentagon has more than just 6 soldiers being killed to worry about .... the Taliban are on the verge of seizing half of the country ....

.... In October, the Long War Journal concluded the Taliban 20 has control of percent of the country and has influence in half of it. On Monday, the same publication said the group has control over nearly all of the south, an area the U.S. and allied partners spend more than a decade wrestling out of Taliban hands.

Taliban On The Verge Of A Huge Victory In The Key Afghan Province Of Helmand (Updated)

Sydney Morning Herald: Afghanistan's Helmand province 'on the brink' of falling to Taliban

Kabul: Afghanistan's Helmand province could fall to the Taliban after months of heavy fighting, with 90 members of the security forces killed over the past two days, the deputy governor of the volatile southern province warned.Mohammad Jan Rasulyar said unless President Ashraf Ghani took urgent action, the province, a centre of opium production and a Taliban heartland that British and American troops struggled to control for years, would be lost.

"Your Excellency, Helmand is standing on the brink and there is a serious need for you to come," he wrote on Facebook.

WNU Editor: This is becoming a disaster.

More News On The Battle For The Afghan Province Of Helmand

Afghanistan Taliban: Militants close to capturing Sangin -- BBC
Taliban forces take control of key district in Afghanistan's Helmand province -- CNN
Taliban seize control of strategic district in southern Afghanistan -- FOX News
Clashes as Taliban advance in Afghanistan's Helmand province -- ABC News (Australia)
Taliban forces overrun Sangin district in Afghanistan's Helmand province -- UPI
Fierce fight for Helmand as Afghan Taliban gains ground -- Al Jazeera
Afghan district where 106 British troops died is set to fall to Taliban again -- The Telegraph
Afghanistan ‘a disaster from start to finish,’ says war veteran as Taliban advance in Helmand -- RT
Taliban on Verge of Huge Victory in Afghanistan -- Rick Moran, PJ Media
If the Taleban takes Helmand, then Afghanistan could go the way of Syria -- Ahmed Rashid, Spectator
Afghanistan: The Taliban is recapturing Helmand before our eyes -- The Independent editorial

Six U.S. Soldiers Killed In A Suicide Attack In Afghanistan

L.A. Times: 6 NATO soldiers killed in Afghanistan suicide attack

Six foreign troops were killed and three wounded Monday in a suicide car bombing near the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, NATO officials said.

The U.S.-led military coalition did not immediately confirm the victims’ nationalities, but an Afghan official said that at least three U.S. service members were among the dead in the attack near Bagram Airfield in northern Afghanistan.

Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the bombing in a statement, saying their target was a joint Afghan-NATO security patrol.

“We’re deeply saddened by this loss,” U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Wilson A. Shoffner, spokesman for coalition forces, said in a statement. “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of those affected in this tragic incident, especially during this holiday season.”

More News On Today's Suicide Attack That Killed 6 American Soldiers In Afghanistan

Six U.S. troops killed outside U.S. airbase by suicide bomber on a motorcycle -- USA Today
Six American troops killed in Afghanistan suicide attack -- AP
Afghanistan Attack: 6 NATO Troops Killed Near Bagram Airbase -- NBC
Officials: Taliban Attack Kills 6 US Soldiers in Afghanistan -- VOA
Mass casualty in Afghanistan: Six U.S. troops dead, others wounded in apparent suicide attack -- Washington post
Six Nato soldiers killed in suicide attack near Bagram airbase in Afghanistan -- The Guardian
6 Coalition Members Killed in Taliban Attack in Afghanistan -- NYT
6 Americans Killed in Afghanistan Suicide Attack -- ABC News
Taliban Suicide Attack Kills at Least Six Near Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan -- VICE News