2nd LD Writethru: 1 killed in car bombing near airport in E. Afghan province

A suicide bomber was killed in Afghanistan's eastern city of Khost, capital of eastern Khost province on Monday, and a resident near the site also wounded, sources said.

"The initial information found a suicide car bombing struck a security tower near the old airport in Khost city, where a foreign forces' military base is also located. The bomber died on the spot and the blast damaged buildings around," a source told Xinhua anonymously.

The attack occurred hours after U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived in the country for an unannounced visit.

Earlier on Monday, Mattis visited headquarters of the NATO-led Resolute Support (RS) in Kabul where he met with RS Commander Gen. John Nicholson and discussed the security situation, the RS forces twitted.

He is also expected to hold meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and other Afghan leaders.

Meanwhile, Dr. Gul Mohammad Mohammadi, a provincial health official, told Xinhua, "One woman sustained injures inside a house near the blast site following today's blast. She was shifted to a main hospital in the city where she was receiving medical treatment,"

"We could not exactly specify whether any casualties took place on the military side," the official noted.

Local residents said several security force members manning the security tower reportedly injured by the blast and were evacuated to a medical facility inside the base.

Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier on April 1, three security forces were killed and six school children wounded after a suicide car bomb targeted a military convoy in Khost, 150 km southeast of Kabul. Enditem