A suicide bomber detonated himself outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan this morning, less than 24 hours after U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney arrived to discuss mounting Taliban activity with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.While Cheney himself was far from danger, the well-timed attack underscores the urgency of the Vice President's mission in the region. Cheney had just arrived in Afghanistan following a highly secretive four-hour stopover in Pakistan, where he delivered a muscular private message to President Pervez Musharraf, in which he urged him to crack down more aggressively against Taliban and growing al-Qaeda activities.
The carnage at Bagram Air Force Base is still being assessed. One report had two Americans and a South Korean killed, with eyewitnesses saying anywhere from four to eight foreigners and at least a score of Afghans were among the dead or wounded. The bomber did not get too far into the Bagram facility: the explosion occurred at the first gate. He would have had to get past at least three other checkpoints before actually being on the base. It is, nevertheless, the latest in a string of violent attacks throughout the country that may herald the start of an anticipated Taliban spring offensive. The Taliban have claimed responsibility, and say they had advance knowledge of Cheney's visit. It is more likely that they sent the bomber out only after it was announced last night that Cheney's talk with Karzai had been delayed due to a snowstorm and they suddenly had an opportunity to make a dramatic statement.
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