Cheney OK After Afghan Blast; 23 Killed (Alisa Tang)

 ``I heard a loud boom,'' Cheney told reporters.

  By ALISA TANG

  Feb. 27, 2007 -- BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide bomber attacked the entrance to the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan Tuesday during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney, killing up to 23 people and wounding 20.

  Cheney was unhurt in the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban and was the closest that militants have come to a top U.S. official visiting Afghanistan. At least one U.S. soldier, an American contractor and a South Korean soldier were among the dead, NATO said.

  Cheney said the attackers were trying ``to find ways to question the authority of the central government.'' A Taliban spokesman said Cheney was the target.

  About two hours after the blast, Cheney left on a military flight for Kabul to meet with President Hamid Karzai and other officials, then left Afghanistan.

  ``I heard a loud boom,'' Cheney told reporters. ``The Secret Service came in and told me there had been an attack on the main gate.''

  He said he was moved ``for a brief period of time'' to a bomb shelter on the base near his quarters. ``As the situation settled down and they had a better sense of what was going on, I went back to my room,'' Cheney added.

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