An unconfirmed number of Afghan rebels were killed last Sunday evening in an attack on a NATO base in Bala Murghab in western Afghanistan. It seems that the insurgents attacked when a Spanish contingent of 125 soldiers was handing over control of the base to Italian troops.

The Spanish Defence ministry has been unable to confirm exactly how many of the attackers were killed, nor what kind of weapons were used in the attack, though it is known that no Spanish or Italian troops were killed or injured.

This is not the first time Spanish troops have come under fire in Badghis province, which is the second poorest in Afghanistan.

Last June six Talibans were killed and a further half dozen were injured when they ambushed a Spanish camp just three months after a patrol of eleven Spanish soldiers were attacked in Sang Atesh, roughly 60km north of Qala-i-Naw. On that occasion the troops took refuge at the local police barracks, called in air and land support, and escaped unharmed.

There are currently 778 Spanish troops deployed in the country, making Spain the ninth biggest contributor to the ISAF force. Since the start of the mission, 84 Spanish servicemen and women, 80 of whom were killed in accidents, have lost their lives there.