Suicide bomber attacks US base in Afghan capital

A suicide car bomber attacked a US base in Kabul today wounding 14 people, including eight Americans.

The bombing was the latest attack to hit the city, coming just over a week after a team of Taliban gunmen and suicide bombers staged an assault that paralysed the city and left 12 people dead.

The violence has underscored fears that militants would try to stage attacks ahead of a key international conference on Afghanistan to be held on Thursday in London.

The bomber detonated a van packed with explosives near Camp Phoenix, an American base inside Kabul.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was targeting an international military convoy.

Meanwhile four Afghan policemen were killed overnight at a checkpoint near the Information and Cultural Affairs Ministry’s directorate in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province.

The southern area is expected to be a major focus of fighting with the influx of 37,000 additional US and Nato forces.

Taliban frequently target Afghan security forces and officials to undermine the Western-backed government, but authorities said it was not yet clear who killed the policemen.

In eastern Kunar province, a Nato airstrike killed several suspected insurgents who were manoeuvring into fighting position in an area previously used to stage attacks on international forces.