ashraf ghani
Hours later, an explosion struck near the U.S. embassy in Kabul. The violence comes as Afghanistan faces presidential elections on Sept. 28.
“There were soldiers lying everywhere and the smoke was so thick, it was difficult to see,” said a spokesman at the base.
The decision came after a meeting of Islamic clerics from across the country this week who declared a fatwa on Taliban attacks.
The blast came after repeated warnings that militants could try to disrupt the country's election process.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
The suggestion was part of a proposed political process that Ghani said could lead to talks aimed at ending more than 16 years of war.
The Arizona senator told foreign press that Obama has failed the nation.
“There are thousands of other Afghans who have been serving America and American people without threatening U.S. security,” said one Afghan professor.
The terrorist group vows to launch large-scale offensives against government strongholds backed by suicide and guerrilla attacks.
The attack on one of the largest air bases in Afghanistan coincided with a regional peace conference in Pakistan.
Uncertainty looms after reports of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death.