Afghan doctor: Bombing kills 17 civilians near U.S. base

At least 25 people were killed and 10 others injured in a suicide attack near a USA base in eastern Afghanistan, officials said.

The bomb exploded at a military roadblock near the entrance to Forward Operating Base Chapman, also known as Camp Chapman, while people were rushing to get home for iftar, said Faizullah Ghairat, the Khost city police chief.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Taliban has often targeted Afghan and foreign troops.

Despite recent talks between Afghan government representatives and the Taliban in Islamabad, the fighting in Afghanistan has escalated.

Foreign troops including USA soldiers are stationed at Camp Chapman alongside Afghan soldiers. In 2009, the military site was the target of an explosion claimed by al-Qaeda.

Gen. Abdul Karim Fayeq, provincial police chief in Kapsia province, said on Sunday that at least seven other civilians were wounded after their van hit by a newly planted roadside bomb.

The incident took place in the provincial capital of Khost province after a suicide bomber detonated a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) near a check post of the Afghan Natioanl Security Forces. However, Zadran said the casualty toll could be as high as 45.

Afghan negotiators said Thursday their next round of talks with the Taliban would focus in detail on ways to end bloodshed in the country, wracked by almost 40 years of war.

Pentagon officials referred comment to North Atlantic Treaty Organisation authorities in Afghanistan.