Afghan security forces have stopped a suspected al-Qaida assassination attempt on a provincial governor in northern Afghanistan.
Police say bodyguards arrested an alleged al-Qaida member when he entered the home of the governor of Balkh province, Atta Mohammed, with explosives hidden under his clothes.
Police say the man is from the African nation of Mali, and they suspect he intended to blow himself up when he was with the governor.
Atta Mohammed was a senior leader in the Northern Alliance, which teamed up with U.S.-led international forces to oust the Taleban in 2001.
In eastern Afghanistan, a U.S. soldier was killed in an attack on his patrol near Mihtarlam, in Laghman province. A U.S. statement says the patrol returned fire and called in air support but the attackers fled.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.