The New York Times November 13, 2009
Explosion Hits U.S. Base in Afghan Capital
By Mark McDonald
The United States military said Friday that an explosion had rocked Camp Phoenix, the large American installation near the main airport on the outskirts of Kabul, the Afghan capital.
There were no immediate reports of casualties, and a military spokesman in Kabul had no further details.
Camp Phoenix is used primarily by U.S. forces involved in the training of the Afghan Army and the national police. The largest contingent is the 27th Brigade Combat Team of the New York National Guard, based in Syracuse. The unit at Camp Phoenix includes some 1,700 soldiers from New York, according to GlobalSecurity.org.
An unidentified Afghan police official said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber, Reuters reported from Kabul. The Associated Press said the bomber had targeted a convoy of civilian vehicles outside the base and there were at least three injuries.A suicide attack on the airport on Sept. 8 -- claimed by the Taliban -- killed three people and wounded at least 10 others. Among the injured were three American soldiers and one Belgian member of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF. The airport adjoins a NATO air facility.
Three weeks earlier, an attack on ISAF headquarters in Kabul killed seven Afghan civilians and wounded 91 others. Among the injured were several European soldiers, a member of Parliament and Afghan Army soldiers who were standing guard at the entrance to the NATO compound.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility for that earlier blast and warned of further attacks.
© Copyright 2009, The New York Times Company
