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Afghan base hit as Cheney visits
A suicide bomber has killed three people and injured several more outside Afghanistan's main US base during a visit by US Vice-President Dick Cheney.
Mr Cheney, on an unannounced visit to the region, was staying at the Bagram base, 60km (40 miles) from Kabul, but was safely inside at the time.
The US military said the bomber was also killed in the blast, but earlier reports said at least 18 died.
A Taleban spokesman phoned the BBC to say his group carried out the attack.
Our security measures were in place and the killer never had access to the base
Lt-Col James Bonner
Base operations commander
A US spokesman described it as a "direct attack" on the base, which was put on red alert for a while.
One US soldier and one other coalition soldier were among the dead.
Base operations commander Lt-Col James Bonner said the bomber could not have got inside the base.
"Our security measures were in place and the killer never had access to the base," he said, quoted by AFP news agency.
"When he realised he would not be able to get onto the base he attacked the local population."
Talks delayed
Mr Cheney had breakfast with troops at the base and left about 90 minutes after the blast.
"The vice-president is fine," said Mr Cheney's spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.
He is now holding talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.
A meeting between the two men scheduled for Monday had been delayed because of heavy snow.
Shortly before the Bagram blast, there was another suicide bomb in the southern town of Kandahar, killing at least one person.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul says Bagram is one of the most heavily guarded sites in Afghanistan and such incidents there are extremely rare.
The surrounding territory is heavily mined and people, including children, have frequently been injured by such devices.
Officials said the explosion occurred between the outside security gate and an inner gate guarded by US troops, some distance from living quarters at the base.
A trader in a market outside the base described the explosion as "huge", saying it shook market stalls.
Tough message
Mr Cheney's visit to the region comes amid increasing concern about insurgent activity in several areas of Afghanistan.
There are fears of a spring offensive by the Taleban and its allies as the snows clear.
There are 27,000 US troops in Afghanistan, the number highest since the invasion of 2001, to combat any offensive.
Mr Cheney arrived in Afghanistan on Monday after holding talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf during a brief stop in Islamabad.
He urged Pakistan to do more to combat the Taleban near the Afghan border, but also praised its role in the "war on terror".
His visit comes as the US seeks to send a tough message to Pakistan that aid to the country will be cut unless efforts to catch militants are stepped up.
Afghanistan and Pakistan share a 1,400 mile (2,250km) border, and many Taleban fighters operate from bases on the Pakistani side.
BBC NEWS
Published: 2007/02/27 09:35:09 GMT
© BBC MMVII
A suicide bomber has killed three people and injured several more outside Afghanistan's main US base during a visit by US Vice-President Dick Cheney.
Mr Cheney, on an unannounced visit to the region, was staying at the Bagram base, 60km (40 miles) from Kabul, but was safely inside at the time.
The US military said the bomber was also killed in the blast, but earlier reports said at least 18 died.
A Taleban spokesman phoned the BBC to say his group carried out the attack.
Our security measures were in place and the killer never had access to the base
Lt-Col James Bonner
Base operations commander
A US spokesman described it as a "direct attack" on the base, which was put on red alert for a while.
One US soldier and one other coalition soldier were among the dead.
Base operations commander Lt-Col James Bonner said the bomber could not have got inside the base.
"Our security measures were in place and the killer never had access to the base," he said, quoted by AFP news agency.
"When he realised he would not be able to get onto the base he attacked the local population."
Talks delayed
Mr Cheney had breakfast with troops at the base and left about 90 minutes after the blast.
"The vice-president is fine," said Mr Cheney's spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride.
He is now holding talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul.
A meeting between the two men scheduled for Monday had been delayed because of heavy snow.
Shortly before the Bagram blast, there was another suicide bomb in the southern town of Kandahar, killing at least one person.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kabul says Bagram is one of the most heavily guarded sites in Afghanistan and such incidents there are extremely rare.
The surrounding territory is heavily mined and people, including children, have frequently been injured by such devices.
Officials said the explosion occurred between the outside security gate and an inner gate guarded by US troops, some distance from living quarters at the base.
A trader in a market outside the base described the explosion as "huge", saying it shook market stalls.
Tough message
Mr Cheney's visit to the region comes amid increasing concern about insurgent activity in several areas of Afghanistan.
There are fears of a spring offensive by the Taleban and its allies as the snows clear.
There are 27,000 US troops in Afghanistan, the number highest since the invasion of 2001, to combat any offensive.
Mr Cheney arrived in Afghanistan on Monday after holding talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf during a brief stop in Islamabad.
He urged Pakistan to do more to combat the Taleban near the Afghan border, but also praised its role in the "war on terror".
His visit comes as the US seeks to send a tough message to Pakistan that aid to the country will be cut unless efforts to catch militants are stepped up.
Afghanistan and Pakistan share a 1,400 mile (2,250km) border, and many Taleban fighters operate from bases on the Pakistani side.
BBC NEWS
Published: 2007/02/27 09:35:09 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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