45 minutes which killed 11 insurgents and wounded four more, a US Marine officer was also wounded, one soldier was awarded the Victoria Cross. September September 8 – The Taliban kills four Afghan National Army troops in an attack on an intelligence office near Kabul. September 13 – Taliban insurgents attack the United States consulate in Herat, with two members of the Afghan National Police reported as killed and about 20 civilians injured. On 13 September, Taliban gunmen and bombers killed eight security guards and a policeman in Herat. All seven attackers were killed. October October 15 – A bomb in a mosque in Logar Province kills the governor Arsala Jamal and results in other injuries. October 27 – A roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan kills 18 people. November November 16 – Suicide car bombing in Kabul kills six people and injures twenty. December December 23 – Captain Richard Holloway of the Special Boat Service was killed by Taliban gunfire whilst on a joint SBS-Afghan forces raid (with air support) on Taliban insurgents in a valley east of Kabul, ahead of the Afghanistan elections. December 27 – A suicide bomber attacks a foreign military convoy on the eastern outskirts of Kabul, killing at least three foreign soldiers, police and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. 2014 As the American troops began to depart, and the number of Taliban attacks increased, there was speculation that the Taliban were waiting for an American withdrawal before launching a major offensive. Timeline January January 6 – A suicide car bomber detonates at a police checkpoint in Ghazni Province, killing three police officers. January 8 – A book released by former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticizes President Barack Obama for his handling of the War in Afghanistan. January 9 – The government of Afghanistan announces the release of 72 Taliban fighters from jails, despite American objections that they pose a security threat. January 11 – A four-year-old Afghan boy is killed by U.S. troops. January 17 – Twenty-one people are killed in a suicide bombing attack on a Kabul restaurant. January 26 – A suicide bomber attacks an army bus in Kabul, killing two soldiers and two civilians. February February 10 – A car bomb detonates in Kabul, killing two contractors working with ISAF. February 18 – A suicide bombing attack in Kabul kills at least two people. February 24 – Senior Taliban commander