KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A suicide bomber with explosives strapped to his chest blew himself up in a crowd of laborers waiting outside a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing as many as 10 people. The suicide bomber struck as hundreds of Afghan workers lined up to enter the base, known as Camp Salerno, outside the city of Khost, said provincial Gov. Jamal Arsalah.Arsalah, who saw the aftermath of the explosion, said 10 men were killed and 14 injured. However, the NATO-led force, which includes the U.S. base, said eight Afghans, including two policemen, were killed and five wounded. No U.S. or NATO troops were injured in the blast.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said the attacker detonated an explosives-filled vest when he reached the point where people entering the base are searched. Arsalah said concrete barriers that protect the base helped prevent a heavier toll.