15:10/03:05:2010

A suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a convoy of Afghan private security forces near a CIA base in the provincial capital of eastern Khost province on Monday, officials said.

The incident occurred in the car park area of the Chapman base, where a Jordanian national Al Qaeda double-agent killed seven American spies last December .

At least one Afghan civilian was killed and two others, including a translator, were wounded on Monday explosion, a spokesman for the provincial governor, Mubariz Zadran, told Pajhwok Afghan News.

Khost Police Chief, Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai, confirmed the one dead in the attack on the heavily-guarded military base in the volatile province on the Pakistani border. NATO-led forces in Khost said no foreign national or military personnel were harmed in the blast.

A purported Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said their bomber -- Afghan national from the central Logar province -- targeted the convoy of the Afghan guards, known as 'campaign forces', when they left the base.

Mujahid claimed that heavy casualties were inflicted to the force, a claim dismissed by local officials. Taliban militants have intensified their attacks against the Afghan and foreign troops as NATO-led forces have begun a 12-18 month push to drive the Taliban from their key strongholds in southern and eastern Afghanistan. (PAN)