GARDEZ, Afghanistan, 17 September 2004 — Afghan President Hamid Karzai escaped an assassination bid yesterday when a rocket was fired at his US military helicopter as it was landing in the southeastern town of Gardez. Taleban guerrillas claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government said it was too early to say who was to blame.

Hours later, Karzai said he was confident of winning next month’s election and said foreign troops would stay in the country until it could take care of itself.

The most serious challenge yet to an Oct. 9 presidential election came as Karzai’s rivals called for the vote to be delayed by at least a month, saying security worries made campaigning difficult.

“A rocket was fired at President Karzai as his helicopter was landing,” US military spokesman Maj. Mark McCann said. “It missed and landed about 300 meters from a school in the vicinity of the landing area.”

The rocket flew over Karzai’s helicopter as a crowd of about 400 supporters gathered to meet him at a school when he was about to touch down, but caused no injuries, witnesses said. The president’s campaign trip, his first outside Kabul, was immediately aborted and he was flown back to the capital, the US military and Afghan officials said.

“The security is really over precautious,” Karzai said, adding he had wanted to land at Gardez to address the crowd.

The incident was the most serious known threat to Karzai since he escaped a Sept 5, 2002 assassination attempt in the southern city of Kandahar.

After that attack Karzai’s security was dramatically tightened and he has since rarely been seen in Afghanistan outside his heavily fortified presidential palace, where he is protected by US bodyguards.

Karzai complained at a news briefing that his US security detail had not let him stay in Gardez. He said foreign troops would remain in Afghanistan for some time to come.

“We will have this force till Afghanistan is firmly on its own feet with regard to its security forces, with regard to its police, with regard to its national army, with regard to its economy, with regard to its government...

“Only then can we ask the international security forces to leave — not till we are fully capable of defending ourselves against everybody else that may be trying to hurt us.”

Taleban military commander Mullah Abdur Rauf said the guerrillas learned of Karzai’s trip on Wednesday and planned the attack. “Because of the shortage of time, we could fire only one rocket. It was launched by remote control,” he said.

Taleban spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi said all 18 presidential candidates were “top targets” for attack. “All presidential candidates are our top targets now because they are running in an election arranged by the United States,” Abdul Latif said.