Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The attack happened near Bagram air base (file image)

Three US service members and one contractor have been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

Three other service members were hurt, the Nato alliance said. The explosion occurred near Bagram air base, 50km (31 miles) north of the capital Kabul.

Earlier three people were killed in twin explosions in the eastern city of Jalalabad.

A total of seven US military members have died in Afghanistan in 2019. In March, two soldiers were killed.

The US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan.

In February, the top US envoy seeking to broker peace in Afghanistan met the Taliban's co-founder in an attempt to end the 17-year conflict.</s>(KABUL, Afghanistan) — U.S. forces in Afghanistan revised on Tuesday the death toll from a Taliban attack the previous day near the main American base in the country, saying three U.S. soldiers were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities.

The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission issued a statement “to clarify initial reporting” about Monday’s roadside bombing of an American convoy near the main U.S. base. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The mission said a roadside bomb hit the convoy near the Bagram Airfield, killing three American service members, and that “the contractor who was reported as killed, is alive.”

The statement said “the contractor, an Afghan citizen, was initially treated along with other injured civilians, later identified as a contractor and treated at Bagram Airfield.”

Three other U.S. service members were also wounded in the attack. The base in Bagram district is located in northern Parwan province and serves as the main U.S. air facility in the country.

The wounded were evacuated and are receiving medical care, the statement said. It added that in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the names of service members killed in action were being withheld until after the notification of next of kin.

In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they launched the attack and that one of their suicide bombers detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near the NATO base. The conflicting accounts could not be immediately reconciled.

On Tuesday, local Afghan officials said at least five Afghan civilians were wounded in the commotion after the attack on the American convoy.

Four were passers-by and the fifth was a driver of a car going down the road, said Abdul Raqib Kohistani, the Bagram district police chief. Abdul Shakor Qudosi, the district administrative chief in Bagram, said American soldiers opened fire immediately after their convoy was bombed.

Monday’s U.S. fatalities bring to seven the number of U.S. soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan, underscoring the difficulties in bringing peace to the war-wrecked country even as Washington has stepped up efforts to find a way to end the 17-year war, America’s longest.

There are about 14,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, supporting embattled Afghan forces as they struggle on two fronts — facing a resurgent Taliban who now hold sway over almost half the country and also the Islamic State affiliate, which has sought to expand its footprint in Afghanistan even as its self-proclaimed “caliphate” has crumbled in Syria and Iraq.

Last year, 13 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have continued to carry out daily attacks on Afghan security forces despite holding several rounds of peace talks with the United States in recent months. The Taliban have refused to meet with the Afghan government, which they view as a U.S. puppet.

Meanwhile, the Taliban have agreed to take part in an all-Afghan gathering later this month in Qatar, where the insurgents maintain a political office. But the Taliban say they will not recognize any government official attending the gathering as a representative of the Kabul government, only as an individual Afghan participant.</s>Kabul: Three US troops and a contractor were killed in an explosion near Bagram Air Base on Monday, NATO said, after the Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast.

“Three US service members and one contractor were killed, and three US service members were wounded by an improvised explosive device April 8 near Bagram Air Base,” the transatlantic military alliance’s mission in Afghanistan, Resolute Support, said in a statement.</s>(KABUL, Afghanistan) — U.S. forces in Afghanistan say three U.S. service members and a contractor have been killed in a roadside bombing near the main American air base in the country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission says the four Americans were killed on Monday near the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul.

The statement also says three American soldiers were wounded in the explosion and are receiving medical care.

It says that in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the name of the service members killed in action are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin.

The Taliban said a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near the NATO base in Bagram district, in Parwan province.</s>Three American service members and a U.S. contractor were killed when their convoy hit a roadside bomb on Monday near the main U.S. base in Afghanistan, the U.S. forces said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission said the four Americans were killed near the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, while three others were wounded in the explosion. The base in Bagram district is located in northern Parwan province and serves as the main U.S. air facility in the country.

The wounded were evacuated and are receiving medical care, the statement said. It added that in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the names of service members killed in action were being withheld until after the notification of next of kin.

In their claim of responsibility, the Taliban said they launched the attack and that one of their suicide bombers detonated his explosives-laden vehicle near the NATO base. The conflicting accounts could not be immediately reconciled.

The fatalities, which bring to seven the number of U.S. soldiers killed so far this year in Afghanistan, underscore the difficulties in bringing peace to the war-wrecked country even as Washington has stepped up efforts to find a way to end the 17-year war, America's longest.

There are about 14,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, supporting embattled Afghan forces as they struggle on two fronts — facing a resurgent Taliban who now hold sway over almost half the country and also the Islamic State affiliate, which has sought to expand its footprint in Afghanistan even as its self-proclaimed "caliphate" has crumbled in Syria and Iraq.

Last year, 13 U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have continued to carry out daily attacks on Afghan security forces despite holding several rounds of peace talks with the United States in recent months. The Taliban have refused to meet with the Afghan government, which they view as a U.S. puppet.

Meanwhile, the Taliban have agreed to take part in an all-Afghan gathering later this month in Qatar, where the insurgents maintain a political office. But the Taliban say they will not recognize any government official attending the gathering as a representative of the Kabul government, only as an individual Afghan participant.</s>The Latest: US forces say contractor not killed on Monday

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Latest on the Taliban attack on U.S. service members in Afghhanistan (all times local):

U.S. forces in Afghanistan have revised their death toll from a Taliban attack the day before near the main American base in the country and now say that three U.S. soldiers were killed but not a contractor who was initially reported among the fatalities.

The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission issued a statement on Tuesday "to clarify initial reporting."

It says a roadside bomb attack during a convoy near the Bagram Airfield killed three American service members and that "the contractor who was reported as killed, is alive."

The statement says "the contractor, an Afghan citizen, was initially treated along with other injured civilians, later identified as a contractor and treated at Bagram Airfield."

A Taliban attack has killed three American service members and a U.S. contractor when their convoy was hit by a roadside bombing on Monday near the main U.S. base in Afghanistan.

The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission said the four Americans were killed near the Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, while three others were wounded in the explosion. The base in Bagram district is located in northern Parwan province and serves as the main U.S. air facility in the country.

The wounded were evacuated and are receiving medical care, the statement said. It added that in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the names of service members killed in action were being withheld until after the notification of next of kin.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three U.S. service members and a contractor were killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device on Monday, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement.

Three U.S. service members were also wounded in the incident near Bagram air base close to Kabul, the statement said.

Violence has been relentless in Afghanistan even though Taliban militants have held several rounds of talks with U.S. officials about a peace settlement. The talks began late last year, raising hopes for an end to the conflict.

Colonel David Butler, a spokesman for U.S. Forces- Afghanistan, said a car bomb had detonated near the security convoy, which lead to deaths and injuries.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

The latest deaths bring the number of U.S. service member deaths in Afghanistan to seven in 2019, and a total of 68 U.S. military deaths since January 2015, according to U.S. government and NATO reports.

The death toll is one of the deadliest recent attacks against U.S. personnel. In November, a roadside bomb blast killed three U.S. service members near the central Afghan city of Ghazni.

Last month two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan while conducting an operation.

The war has taken a much larger toll on Afghan security forces and civilians.

President Ashraf Ghani, speaking at the World Economic Forum in January, said that about 45,000 Afghan security forces have been killed since he took office in September 2014, which works out to an average of 849 per month.

The Resolute Support Mission consists of 17,000 troops, about half of them from the United States. A smaller number of U.S. troops operate in Afghanistan under a counter-terrorism mission.</s>Three American service members and a U.S. contractor were killed in a roadside bombing near the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan Monday, U.S. military officials announced.

Three other U.S. service members were also wounded in the attack.

The wounded service members were evacuated and are receiving medical attention.

Prior to Monday's attack, there had been a total of four U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan this year.

The names of the service members killed in Monday's attack are being withheld for 24 hours until next of kin can be notified.

This is a developing news story. Check back here for more updates.</s>KABUL: A suicide bomber in a vehicle killed three US troops and a military contractor on Monday (Apr 8) while targeting their convoy near Bagram Air Base, officials said, after the Taliban claimed responsibility for the blast.

The attack is the latest to hit American forces amid an ongoing, US-led drive to forge a peace deal in Afghanistan, more than 17 years after the Taliban were ousted.

According to NATO, the blast also wounded three US troops in what is the deadliest attack on American forces in Afghanistan so far this year.

Officials did not immediately release the names of those killed, or the nationality of the contractor.

"The wounded service members were evacuated and are receiving medical care," NATO said in a statement.

Earlier, the Taliban claimed to have conducted the attack, saying "multiple invaders" had been killed. They added that one armoured personnel carrier had been "completely destroyed."

The blast brings to seven the number of US troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year.

Still, American casualties have fallen dramatically since the end of 2014, when Afghan forces took over from US-led NATO combat troops to secure the country.

The US now has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, most of them deployed to train and advise Afghan counterparts.

While parts of Afghanistan including Kabul have experienced something of a lull in attacks in recent weeks, US and Afghan forces have stepped up attacks on the Taliban across the country.

Bagram, America's largest air base in Afghanistan, is located about 50 kilometres north of Kabul.

Earlier, Bagram district governor Abdul Shakoor Quddusi said a car bomber attacked an armoured vehicle carrying foreign forces close to a gate to the base.

"The area is closed down by foreign forces and we don't have any information of any possible casualties," Quddusi told AFP.

Afghans, meanwhile, are on high alert for a new round of violence when the militants kick off their expected spring offensive.

They typically declare a new fighting season as winter snows melt, and have in the past sought to gain control of district centres and to target government facilities.

Taliban leaders are set to meet with Afghan officials in Qatar next week for a fresh round of talks as the US tries to broker a peace deal.

Last week, US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad called for a "comprehensive and inclusive" intra-Afghan dialogue between the government, women, youth and civil society.

The Taliban has until now refused to meet with the Kabul government, accusing it of being a puppet regime.

The diplomatic spat between Washington and Kabul came to a head last month when Afghanistan's national security advisor Hamdullah Mohib accused Khalilzad of a lack of "transparency", even suggesting the Afghan-born envoy wanted to be "viceroy" of his native country.

Washington reacted furiously, with US officials reportedly refusing to attend meetings in which Mohib was present. The outspoken advisor visited eastern provinces when Khalilzad was in Kabul.</s>Three U.S. service members and a contractor were killed in Afghanistan by an improvised explosive device on Monday, the NATO-led Resolute Support mission said in a statement.

Three U.S. service members were also wounded in the incident near Bagram air base close to Kabul, the statement said. It gave no further details.

The latest deaths brings the number of U.S. service members' deaths in Afghanistan to seven in 2019, and a total of 68 U.S. military deaths since January 2015, according to U.S. government and NATO reports.

Last month two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan while conducting an operation.

The war has taken a much larger toll on Afghan security forces and civilians.

 Violence has been relentless in Afghanistan even though Taliban militants have held several rounds of talks with U.S. officials about a peace settlement.

The talks began late last year, raising hopes for an end to the conflict. The latest round ended this month with both sides citing progress.

The Resolute Support Mission consists of 17,000 troops, about half of them from the United States. A smaller number of U.S. troops operate in Afghanistan under a counter-terrorism mission.
A roadside bomb kills three U.S. troops and one civilian contractor near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.