2007 Bagram Airfield bombing
Coordinates: 34°56′46″N 69°15′54″E / 34.946°N 69.265°E
| 2007 Bagram Airfield bombing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bagram, Afghanistan |
| Date |
February 27, 2007 10 A.M (GMT+4:30 Kabul (UTC)) |
| Target |
Bagram Air Base Vice President Dick Cheney |
Attack type | suicide attack, assassination attempt |
| Deaths | 23 |
Non-fatal injuries | 20 |
| Perpetrators |
Taliban al-Qaeda |
The 2007 Bagram Airfield bombing was a suicide attack that killed up to 23 people and injured 20 more at the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, while Dick Cheney, the Vice President of the United States, was visiting.[1] The attack occurred inside one of the security gates surrounding the heavily guarded base 60 km north of Kabul.[1]
In 2007, Bagram was the main US airbase in Afghanistan.
On February 27, at about 10 am local time, a suicide bomber attacked the outer gate of the base, killing 23 people and injuring at least 20 others. Among the dead were an American soldier, PFC Daniel Zizumbo; an American contractor; SSG Yoon Jang-ho, a South Korean soldier; and 20 Afghan workers at the base.[2]
US Vice President Dick Cheney was on the base at the time of the attack, having arrived in Afghanistan the previous day to meet with US Allies. US officials reported that the Vice President was never in danger and he was about 1 mile away from the explosion. A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousef Ahmadi, told the Associated Press that the Taliban had advance knowledge of Cheney's visit and Cheney was the intended target—claims that were met with skepticism by US officials. One US spokesman called them "far-fetched" and observed that "the vice president wasn't even supposed to be here overnight, so this would have been a surprise to everybody." Another US spokesman, Lt. Col. David Accetta, reported that the attacker did not attempt to pass any of the U.S. security checkpoints, but instead detonated himself amongst a group of Afghans. Accetta was quoted as saying "To characterize this as a direct attempt on the life of the vice president is absurd"[3]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Cheney unhurt in blast outside Afghan base". CNN. Associated Press. 2007-02-27. Archived from the original on 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2007-02-27.
- ↑ Tang, Alisa (2007-02-27). "Cheney OK After Afghan Blast; 23 Killed". Newsday. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 29, 2005.
- ↑ Tang, Alisa (2007-02-27). "Bomb within earshot of Cheney kills 23". The Boston Globe. Associated Press.
