US soldier and Afghan die in suicide attack

A US soldier and an Afghan died as a suicide bomber tried to attack a base in southeast Afghanistan today, two days after a major operation against the Taleban was launched in the south.

The bomber drove a truck towards the base, operated by US-led foreign forces and Afghan troops, in the Zirok district of Paktika province. He ignored warnings to stop and was shot dead before he reached the base. The explosives he was carrying detonated during the shooting, killing the soldiers.