The Taliban militants say they have attacked the largest American military base in Afghanistan, killing many US troops, Press TV reports.

A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said on Sunday that the fatalities had been caused after the militants hit the US Bagram Air Base in the north of the Afghan capital Kabul with nine missiles.

He added that they launched the attack when the US forces were celebrating the start of the new year.

Afghan officials also announced that the heavily-fortified airbase had been hit by a barrage of rockets, but claimed that the attack had not caused any casualties.

The Taliban have intensified their attacks against the US-led foreign forces occupying Afghanistan. The heightened militancy has been interpreted as a reaction to the foreign presence.

US military officials say there are currently 91,000 US troops in Afghanistan -- down from the peak of 101,000 in June 2011.

The Taliban are conducting the strikes, despite the US secret talks with the militants as part of Washington's strategy to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
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