Suicide Attacker Hits Near US Base in Kabul

A man wearing a suicide vest blew himself up near a US base in the Afghan capital early Wednesday, killing at least one person in what looked like a thwarted attempt to attack the American base, Afghan police said. The blast reverberated around the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood. An alarm started going off at the nearby US Embassy, warning staff to take cover. The neighborhood also is home to many high-ranking Afghan officials, international organizations and the headquarters of the international military coalition. The attacker was on foot and was identified by security forces as he approached Camp Eggers, said Gen. Mohammad Zahir, the chief of the Kabul police criminal investigation department. He said that there was at least one other body on the scene besides that of the attacker. Two Afghan soldiers who were in a nearby vehicle when the blast occurred were wounded, said Kabul Police Chief Mohammad Ayub Salangi. An international coalition vehicle was damaged in the attack but there were no initial reports of casualties among the foreign forces, said Jamie Graybeal, a spokesman for the allied forces.