Blast Kills 2 Near Main U.S. Afghan Base

Suicide Blast Injures 17 Afghans Near Bagram; Afghan Official Says U.S. Troops Targeted

(CBS)  This story was written by CBS News' Fazul Rahim in Kabul and CBSNews.com's Tucker Reals in London.

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A suicide bomber detonated his explosives-packed car outside the office of the governor of Afghanistan's Parwan province Monday, leaving at least two Afghan nationals dead and 17 more injured.

The governor's office is just several miles from the primary U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base. Afghan officials said the blast targeted a convoy of U.S. military personnel that was entering the compound at the governor's office.

A U.S. military spokesman contacted by CBSNews.com confirmed the suicide attack and said there were no U.S. deaths, but say whether any Americans were wounded in the blast.

Capt. Scott Miller, a spokesman for Coalition Joint Task Force 101 at Bagram, said U.S. convoys operate frequently in the vicinity of the governor's office due to its proximity to the American base, but he could not confirm whether any personnel were at the scene when the blast occurred Monday.

Interior Ministry spokesman Zemary Bashari told CBS News that two Afghans were killed and 17 injured in the blast, but he did not have any information on casualties among foreign forces.

According to a report on a local Afghan television network, a spokesman for Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar claimed responsibility for the attack.

A number of suicide attacks have been claimed in the name of Hekmatyar's Hezb-e-Islami militant group, but confirmation is never possible. Hekmatyar's whereabouts are unknown (though he may well be hiding in the porous border region with Pakistan), as are his present ties to the Taliban or al Qaeda.