A motorcycle bomb attack killed six NATO service members Monday in Bagram, Afghanistan, according to a statement released by NATO in Kabul.
A suicide bomber on a motorbike carried out the attack on a joint patrol of Afghan and coalition forces at about 1:30 p.m. in the Bajawri area of Bagram district, said Waheed Sediqi, a spokesman for the governor of Parwan province.
The area is close to the U.S. base in the Bagram district of northern Parwan province.
“We’re deeply saddened by this loss,” Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner 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.”
The names and nationalities of those killed were not immediately released.
The attack remains under investigation, said Col. Michael Lawhorn, a spokesman for NATO’s Operation Resolute Support.
According to NATO, the operation was launched in January “to provide further training, advice and assistance for the Afghan security forces and institutions.” The mission involves 12,000 personnel from NATO and 14 partner nations.
Its central hub is in Bagram/Kabul with “spokes” in Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar and Laghman, NATO says.