KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide car bomber blew up his vehicle near the gate of a U.S.-Afghan combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday morning in an explosion that shook houses nearly two miles away. Ten Afghan troops were injured, mostly by falling debris.
Though very large, the blast in Paktiya province's Zurmat district did not kill anyone, said provincial government spokesman Rohullah Samon.
He said the explosion shattered windows on village homes three kilometers (nearly 2 miles) away, but it appeared that the bomber detonated his car before reaching the actual gate of the camp. Many of the injured soldiers were in rooms inside the base that collapsed from the force of the explosion, Samon said.
There were no casualties among international forces at Combat Outpost Zurmat, said NATO forces spokesman Maj. Adam Wojack. He said the bombing was followed by indirect fire by mortars or rockets aimed at the base.
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack and said that insurgents also breached the outpost's perimeter defenses.
Wojack said he had no reports of attackers on foot and that the outpost was secured soon after the blast.
