Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Vice President Dick Cheney was unhurt when Bagram air base in Afghanistan came under attack during his visit, U.S. military spokesman David Accetta said. At least 19 people were killed in the incident, Associated Press said.

The attack occurred at the front gate to the base, the spokesman said. Cheney, who stayed at Bagram overnight, is ``fine,'' his spokeswoman Lea Anne McBride said.

The incident took place at 10:30 a.m. Afghan time and the base was placed on temporary alert, Accetta said. One U.S. solider and two Afghans were among those killed in what was a suicide attack, Agence France-Presse said, citing the U.S. military said. The Taliban said it was responsible for the assault, Sky News reported.

Cheney stayed at the base after bad weather delayed his talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Cheney is visiting Afghanistan and Pakistan this week to press the countries to improve security along their border to prevent a resurgence of the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

The U.S. is concerned about countering al-Qaeda's attempts to re-establish training camps and an anticipated spring offensive by the Taliban launched from the remote mountainous region along Pakistan's 1,510-mile-long (2,430 kilometer) border with Afghanistan.

The U.S. and Italian ambassadors to Sri Lanka was injured today when artillery shells landed at an air force base during a visit to the east of the country. The Sri Lankan military blamed the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the attack.

Bagram Base

Bagram air base is about 27 miles (47 kilometers) north of the capital, Kabul, and was used by Soviet troops during their occupation of Afghanistan. According to GlobalSecurity.org, Bagram has a 10,000 foot runway built in 1976 capable of handling large cargo aircraft and bombers.

The base is primarily used by the U.S. Army and Air Force, which operates helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for U.S. operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The U.S. has 15,000 soldiers as part of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization force in Afghanistan and another 12,000 involved in counter-insurgency operations and the hunt for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Cheney had breakfast today with Major General David Rodriguez, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, and troops in their base mess hall.

Pakistan Visit

The vice president arrived in Afghanistan from Pakistan where he pressed President Pervez Musharraf to increase operations against fighters hiding on the border.

The New York Times, citing unidentified administration officials, reported yesterday that Cheney was warning the Pakistani leader that aid to his country may be cut by Congress unless his forces take more aggressive steps against al-Qaeda.

Pakistan's government, in a statement released after the meetings, said Cheney expressed concern about the ``regrouping of al-Qaeda in the tribal areas and called for concerted efforts in countering the threat.''

Pakistan, Afghanistan, U.S. troops and NATO forces will have to take ``joint responsibility of stopping illegal crossings,'' the Pakistani statement said.

Bush earlier this month ordered an increase in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and asked NATO allies to strengthen their commitment there.

U.K. Defense Secretary Des Browne announced yesterday that Britain will deploy 1,400 more soldiers in Afghanistan, bringing its contingent to 7,700. NATO's Afghan force now has about 34,000 soldiers from 37 countries.

Tribal Leaders

NATO blames the loss of control over the border partly on a decision last year by Musharraf to give tribal leaders in the region greater autonomy. Musharraf and Karzai, meantime, have bickered over who's to blame for the Taliban's resurgence.

The Brussels-based International Crisis Group, an organization that monitors conflicts, said in a report last year the September 2006 agreement reached by Musharraf helped the Taliban because it limited Pakistani army operations.

At least 4,000 Afghan civilians were killed in the fighting in 2006 as the Taliban sought to regain control of the southeastern provinces. Roadside bombings almost doubled last year and suicide bombings grew almost fivefold, making 2006 the most violent year since the Taliban were overthrown following the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S.

Musharraf joined the U.S.-led war on terrorism in 2001, when he ended Pakistan's support for the Taliban regime that sheltered bin Laden. Pakistan has arrested more than 600 terrorist suspects since then, including al-Qaeda commanders Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Ramzi Mohamed Abdullah Binalshibh, both accused of helping plan the Sept. 11 attacks.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brendan Murray at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan at 1804 or brmurray@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 27, 2007 03:03 EST