The US Defence Secretary was at the centre of a security alert in Afghanistan yesterday when his aircraft was the target of a suspected suicide attack as it touched down at a military base.
A vehicle gained access to the runway at the joint British and US Camp Bastion in Helmand province and burst into flames as Leon Panetta’s aircraft was about to land. A man leapt from the pick-up truck in flames and the vehicle rolled into a ditch.
The driver, an employee at the base, died early today after being treated for serious burns at the British hospital in the base. Mr Panetta’s aircraft landed on a different runway.
A military spokesman said it was thought that the Afghan employee was targeting a group of 200 US Marines who had gathered to meet Mr Panetta at the adjoining Camp Leatherneck.
General Mike Scaparotti, a military spokesman, said he believed that the man intended to cause harm but probably did not plan to target Mr Panetta.
Advertisement
“I personally don’t believe it had anything to do with the Secretary’s arrival,” he said. There is “no way you can identify one aircraft from the other”.
Captain John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said that no explosives were found either in the vehicle or on its driver. “He wasn’t armed,” Captain Kirby said. “At no time was the Secretary of Defence in danger.”
The incident is likely to prompt urgent security questions, however, as Mr Panetta’s visit was unannounced and was supposed to have been shrouded in secrecy until his aircraft touched down.
The camp went into immediate lockdown after the incident.
The driver had earlier run over and injured a British soldier as he drove at high speed towards the runway. The truck had been hijacked at the base before it crashed through the runway fencing.
Advertisement
George Little, Mr Panetta’s press secretary, who was travelling with the Defence Secretary, said: “He ran, he jumped on to a truck, base personnel put the fire out and he was immediately treated for burn injuries.”
The Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said it was aware of the incident. A spokesman said the “alleged perpetrator” had been arrested. The spokesman also denied that Mr Panetta had been in any danger.
Flights from Bastion were restricted while the security beach was investigated, but restrictions were later lifted.
David Cameron was asked about the incident during a press conference with President Obama at the White House after talks that focused on Afghanistan. He replied: “Obviously we will want to examine and investigate exactly what happened before making clear anything about it.”
Mr Panetta proceeded with his visit — although, in a highly unusual move, the Marines called up to see him at Camp Leatherneck were asked to leave their weapons outside the tent where the Defence Secretary was due to speak to them. “We will not allow individual incidents to undermine our resolve,” he told the Marines.
Advertisement
Two dozen Afghan soldiers were also invited into the tent and were asked to come unarmed. Major-General Mark Gurganus said he did not want the Afghans to be treated differently from the Marines.
The decision emphasised the heightened sensitivities after the shooting of 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar province by a US Army staff sergeant. The suspect was flown out of Afghanistan yesterday to a “pre-trial curtailment facility” in Kuwait.