Afghan suicide blast kills four outside US base

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives at the entrance to a US base in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing three Afghan soldiers and one Afghan civilian, a US official said. Initial reports indicated that the bomber was on foot and walked up to the first security gate outside of Forward Operating Base Bermel in Paktika province, said Maj. Christine Nelson-Chung, a US spokeswoman. She said that three Afghan soldiers and one civilian were killed, and that four Afghans were wounded. No Americans were injured in the attack, she said. It was not immediately clear if the bomber had been trying to gain entry to the base, which is near the border with Pakistan.