As many as 8 Americans dead in attack in eastern Afghanistan, officials say

As many as 8 Americans dead in Afghan attack

KABUL — At least eight Americans died Wednesday in a suicide bombing at a military base in eastern Afghanistan, U.S. officials said.

Conflicting reports were reaching the Pentagon on whether the victims were civilian or military in the bombing at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost province near the border with Pakistan.

The deaths were confirmed late Wednesday by a U.S. official in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

A senior U.S. official in Washington said the Americans were killed by an attacker wearing a suicide vest.

Another senior U.S. official in Washington said there were conflicting reports on the number of casualties, and that other people were wounded in the attack.

Wazir Pacha, a police spokesman in Khost province, said local people reported hearing a blast on the base.

Soon afterward, two helicopters landed, a police officer in Khost said.

All the U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because not all details about the incident had been confirmed.

Associated Press Writers Pauline Jelinek and Matthew Lee in Washington and Amir Shah in Kabul contributed to this report.