U.N. chief’s plane diverted to U.S. base after rocket attack

A rocket attack on Kabul’s international airport forced U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and Swedish foreign Minsiter Carl Bildt to land at a U.S. military base, Bildt said Tuesday.

Mr. Ban and Mr. Bildt were travelling on the same plane to the Afghan capital that is Tuesday hosting an international donor conference attended by scores of foreign ministers and other officials.

“It was expected that the Taliban and others would try to disrupt the key conference,” Mr. Bildt wrote on his blog.

Mr. Ban and Mr. Bildt landed instead at the Bagram base and were flown by helicopter to Kabul.

A plane transporting Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lene Espersen was also unable to land at Kabul airport and was diverted to neighbouring Kazakhstan, Danish media reported.

It was not known if Ms. Espersen would be able to attend the latter part of the conference where she had planned to give a speech on women’s rights.