KABUL — A suicide car bomber killed seven people and wounded 21 others Wednesday outside a U.S. military base in the same part of eastern Afghanistan where militants stormed government buildings a day earlier, police said.
The militant attacks in Khost, near the tumultuous border with Pakistan, come as the U.S. makes military leadership changes in Afghanistan that demonstrate a clear break from Bush-era appointees.
In Wednesday’s attack, a vehicle drove up to the first gate at Camp Salerno on the edge of Khost and exploded, said police spokesman Wazir Pacha. U.S. forces confirmed the attack, saying four Afghan security guards were among those killed.
There were no casualties among international troops, said Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, a U.S. military spokeswoman.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, meanwhile, said his decision to fire the top U.S. general in Afghanistan was not a result of disagreement over the general’s requests for more forces.
“A commander in the field should never feel constrained from asking for what he needs,” Gates told a House committee hearing.
Gen. David McKiernan was named to his post less than a year ago by former President George W. Bush and spent much of his tenure pleading for reinforcements for a backsliding war. Gates announced McKiernan’s ouster on Monday, saying he wanted new leadership.
