Ten die in Afghan army base bomb

April 16, 2011, updated to Quentin Sommerville BBC 17: 50 GMT: "We expect one of the bloodiest summers still in this war almost ten years."Five foreigners and five Afghan soldiers were killed in an attack in the East of the Afghanistan, officials said.

A suicide bomber Taliban military uniform struck a base near the city of Jalalabad, the Afghan army, said the Afghan Defence Ministry.

Officials of the coalition said five foreign soldiers died but gave no further details. Four afghans and four soldiers translators were said to be injured.

The attack was one of the deadliest in months against foreign troops.

It took place shortly after 0730 (0330 GMT) when the bomber approached the door of the military base and did detonate his explosives.

The Taliban claim responsibility for the attack, adding that the attacker was a "sleeper agent" who had served in the army at least one month before the launch of his attack.

"Today, when there was a meeting between Afghan soldiers and the foreigners, he took the opportunity to carry out the attack," Taliban Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman said in an e-mail, the Associated Press News Agency.

However, Afghan officials strongly denied this suggestion, insisting that bomber wore a military uniform, but not a soldier in the service.

Avalanche of attacks continue reading in the main history Bilal Sarwary Kabul

Attack on Saturday was the third in the past 72 hours.

The two previous attacks had claimed the life of influential tribal elder, Malik Zarin and Kandahar police chief Khan Mohammad Mujahid.

These attacks are an attempt by insurgents to undermine the authority of the Afghan national police and the army - two institutions that are supposed to assume responsibility for the security of the country, once foreign forces return home.

Insurgents are also trying to convey the message to the people through such acts, not step to send members of their families to serve as the police and the army.

In Afghanistan coalition officials confirmed that foreign troops were died Saturday but did not specify the nationalities of those killed. None of the dead is supposed to be British.

"Five members of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) is dead following a rebel attack in the East of the Afghanistan today," said a statement.

The attack was the third recent days on the Taliban rebels.

The first killed a tribal elder closely linked to the Afghan President Hamid Karzai, while on Friday, the Chief of police of the southern Kandahar province was killed.

Khan Mohammad Mujahid - a former Mujahedeen fighter - had survived two previous attempts on his life, his home and the other in its procession.

In the latest two incidents, the attacker wore a uniform official Afghan.

Despite a ban on sale put in place to reduce the number of attacks, army uniforms and Afghan police are widely available throughout the country.

Pull-out.

There are currently more than 140,000 international troops in Afghanistan, about 100,000 of them American.

The United States has about 90,000 troops with the ISAF and some 10,000 more deployed in Operation Enduring Freedom.

The UK currently contributes the second largest number of troops of the Afghan mission, with some 9 500 military.

The United States they are expected begin to withdraw its troops from the Afghanistan in July, a period at the beginning of his presidency as Barack Obama.

Responsibility for security in Afghanistan then begin transfer to Afghan forces, mainly the army and the police.