Incidents like assassination attempt happen in war: Panetta

US defence secretary Leon Panetta shrugged off fears that he was targeted by a would-be assassin at the British base Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, as the attacker died of his injuries.This is a war area, Leon Panetta told reporters in Afghanistan on Thursday morning. Were going to get these kinds of incidents. David Cameron promised a review of the incident at Camp Bastion after the man stole a truck, evaded a security cordon and made his way onto a runway as Leon Panetta was arriving on an unannounced visit.The suspect terrorist, employed either as a caterer or cleaner, apparently set the 4x4 vehicle on fire before driving at high speed towards a party of officials waiting to greet Mr Panetta’s plane on the tarmac. Before it reached the welcoming party, the vehicle crashed into a ditch, apparently because the driver was overcome by fumes. He emerged from the vehicle on fire and was put out by RAF firemen, but died of his burns overnight.A senior American general confirmed he believed the worker “had the intent to harm”, but said he did not believe Mr Panetta was the target. Gen Scaparrotti said: “I personally dont believe it had anything to do with the secretarys arrival. There is no way you can identify one aircraft from the other, he added. The vehicle had been driving towards a group of American marines, he said.Mr Panetta also said he did not believe he was a target, telling reporters: I have absolutely no reason to believe that this was directed at me. Questions were raised last night about how the driver could have known about the US defence secretary’s imminent arrival. The incident has also intensified concerns about the security of Western facilities in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s threats and deepened doubts about the future of the Nato mission.The terrorist suspect stole the vehicle soon after midday yesterday inside Camp Bastion, a base in the Helmand desert roughly the size of Reading. He drove past a large group of British soldiers who were at an outdoor refresher lesson on first aid and anti-mine drills. One of the men, who had just arrived in Afghanistan, suffered minor injuries after he was hit by the vehicle.The airfield is protected by RAF troops, the US Marine Corps and soldiers from Tonga. However, the Afghan managed to get through their security measures. He then manoeuvred at high speed on to Bastion’s main runway where Mr Panetta’s plane was coming in to land. He drove a short distance, stopped the vehicle and set it on fire. The suspect assassin then drove towards the waiting officials at 12.30pm.The worker, who was apparently trying to use the vehicle as a “flaming battering ram” crashed into a ditch after he was overwhelmed by fumes and flames as he sped towards the incoming plane. An RAF fire and rescue crew put out the flames that had engulfed both the car and the driver.When Mr Panetta’s plane landed a few moments later it was redirected to another part of the runway. There were no explosives found either in the vehicle or on the driver, a Pentagon spokesman said.While the US defence secretary’s visit to Afghanistan was not publicly announced it is understood that it had become known to people in Bastion that he was arriving.Nato’s mission in Afghanistan began in 2001, and Western leaders insist that troops remain in the country to ensure its stability and international security.