Taliban Kill Three U.S. Soldiers and an American Contractor

An explosion of a roadside bomb near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on Monday left three American soldiers and a U.S. contractor dead. Three others were wounded. Identities of the dead and wounded have not been released pending notification of the next of kin. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, reporting that one of its suicide bombers triggered the explosives in his vehicle. It was also reported that five Afghani civilians were killed when shooting broke out following the attack at the NATO base. Despite the seemingly endless combat that includes U.S. forces, the Taliban remain strong in a large portion of the country. As well, ISIS-associated terrorists remain active in Afghanistan despite American-claimed success over the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The Taliban have agreed to attend a Qatari-sponsored peace conference as long as those speaking for Afghanistan are not representing the government.