A U.S. soldier walks at the site of suicide attack in Jalalabad
File Picture - A U.S. soldier walks at the site of suicide attack in Jalalabad May 18, 2011. A suicide bomber killed 13 people and wounded at least 20 in an attack on a minibus carrying police cadets in the main city in Afghanistan's east on Wednesday, a government spokesman said. Reuters

Explosions and gunfire rip off the US base in the Afghan city of Jalalabad which was allegedly carried out Taliban militants.

One Afghan official and all the seven assailants were killed in the attack following a gun battle between the US soldiers and the attackers which went on for about two hours.

Reports suggest there were multiple explosions. "We can confirm there have been multiple explosions in the vicinity of the Jalalabad airfield. Currently, ISAF officials are on the scene gathering facts, and as more information becomes available, we will release it as appropriate. None of the attackers succeeded in breaching the perimeter," read a statement from the US-led coalition.

The eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad houses the joint US-Afghan air base.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. A Taliban spokesman said the assault was carried out at around 06:00 (01:30 GMT) on Sunday and some fighting was taking place at the airfield.

The Afghan government is struggling to cope up with security measures as NATO is gradually pulling out troops from the country.

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