U.S. base in Afghanistan is hit by bomber during visit by Cheney

KABUL: A suicide bomber blew himself up Tuesday outside the main gate of the United States military base at Bagram while Vice President Dick Cheney was inside the base. Cheney was not hurt in the attack.

The explosion killed and wounded a number of American and allied soldiers, Afghan and Pakistani truck drivers and laborers waiting for access at the gate. There were conflicting reports of the number of casualties and deaths.

The incident took place at the outermost security gate of the sprawling base, far from where Cheney was staying at the time. A few hours after the attack, Cheney traveled to Kabul to meet with President Hamid Karzai, and later left Afghanistan to fly to Oman. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing and said that Cheney had been the target, news agencies reported. Qari Yousef Ahmadi, who claimed to be a Taliban spokesman, told the Associated Press: "We knew that Dick Cheney would be staying inside the base." He said the bombing had been carried out by Mullah Abdul Rahim.

The claim could not immediately be verified.

The attack took place in a region of Afghanistan where the Taliban are thought to have very little support, and suicide bombings have been uncommon there. Such bombings, especially against high-security targets like the air base, usually involve substantial planning and preparation, and would be difficult to improvise quickly. Cheney's presence on the base had not been scheduled and could not have been known before Monday night.

In Pakistan, Cheney delivered a stiff private message to President Pervez Musharraf that his government had not made adequate efforts to combat Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

In response, the Pakistani government lashed out with a series of statements insisting that "Pakistan does not accept dictation from any side or any source."

The unusual outburst, later toned down, revealed the depth of tensions between Musharraf and Washington over what administration officials say have been inadequate efforts by Pakistan in combating Al Qaeda and the Taliban.