The 2007 Bagram Airfield bombing was a suicide attack that killed up to 23 people and injured 20 more at the

Bagram Airfield Bagram Airfield-BAF, also known as Bagram Air Base , is located southeast of Charikar in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. It is under the Afghan Ministry of Defense. Sitting on the site of the ancient Bagram at an elevation of above sea lev ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

, while Dick Cheney, the

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

, was visiting. The attack occurred inside one of the security gates surrounding the heavily guarded base 60 km north of

Kabul Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...

. In 2007, Bagram was the main US airbase in Afghanistan.

Events

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 U.S. soldier PFC Daniel Zizumbo; a U.S. contractor; SSG Yoon Jang-ho, a South Korean soldier; and 20 Afghan workers at the base. 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." The bomber was at the first check point when he detonated and the Associated Press was set up already with cameras filming the area on the main road. Later reports released as part of the

SIGAR The name Sigar can refer to four people in Scandinavian mythology, surrounding the legends of Sigurd the dragon slayer. One of them only appears as the friend of Helgi Hjörvarðsson in the eddic lay ''Helgakviða Hjörvarðssonar''. The other ...

reports revealed that word of Cheney's presence had leaked, and that the bomber had targeted a convoy as it left the base in the belief that Cheney was inside. Cheney had originally intended to depart in a different convoy which was scheduled to depart 30 minutes later. Media sources remarked that this picture of the bombing undermined the skeptical statements of US officials and supported the Taliban claim that the bombing had been a serious attempt on Cheney's life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bagram Airfield bombing 2007 murders in Afghanistan Failed assassination attempts in Asia Battles of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Conflicts in 2007 Dick Cheney Mass murder in 2007 Mass murder in Afghanistan Suicide bombings in Afghanistan Terrorist incidents in Afghanistan in 2007 February 2007 events in Asia Parwan Province

Events

See also

References