8 local Afghan guards shot dead near US base

KABUL - Eight local security guards were shot and killed following an ambush attack near a main US base in Afghanistan's eastern province of Parwan overnight, a local official said on Tuesday.

"Ten night shift guards were travelling in a vehicle to Bagram airbase before being attacked by gunmen roughly at 10:00 pm local time Monday. The shooting left eight people dead and injured two others," a provincial security source told Xinhua.

The source did not detail the incident, only saying that "an investigation has been initiated into the incident and more information will be shared with media later on the day."

Bagram Airfield, some 50 km north of Afghan capital of Kabul, has been serving as a main US and NATO military base in Afghanistan over the past 16 years.

The attackers fled the scene shortly after firing, according to the source.

No group has claimed responsibility yet for the attack, which took place in Bagram district's Shah Aqa locality.

The Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant since late April when the militant group launched its annual rebel offensive in different places of the country, which had claimed hundreds of lives including militants, security personnel and civilians.

The Taliban urged civilians to stay away from official gatherings, military convoys and centers regarded as the legitimate targets by militants besides warning people not to support the government.