Bomb Within Earshot of Cheney Kills 23

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney waves as he departs Sydney, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007. Cheney has been in Australia for three days to thank one of Washington's staunchest supporters of the increasingly unpopular Iraq war, an ally that has become a rarity by offering more, not fewer, troops for Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) (Mark Baker - AP)

Khan Shirin, a private security guard, sobbed in the back of a pickup truck and kissed the body bag bearing his relative, Parvez, who was a truck driver and the representative of a transport association that hauls goods for the U.S. base.

"How will I tell your mother and father and return your body to your home?" he said, wiping his tears away. "You've left us."

During their private hourlong meeting, Cheney and Karzai spoke about the "problems coming from Pakistan," said an Afghan government official, a reference to cross-border infiltration by militants who launch attacks in Afghanistan.

"We understand now that the U.S. government realizes that in order to stop terrorism in Afghanistan and to stop terrorist attacks in Afghanistan, there must be a clear fight against terrorism in Pakistan," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Karzai's office said Cheney told Afghan leaders the United States "will continue its assistance to Afghanistan."

A senior administration official told reporters on Cheney's airplane that Bush had wanted Cheney to travel to the region because of "the continuing threat that exists in this part of the world."

The official described Cheney's meetings with the Afghan and Pakistan leaders as very productive, saying Karzai was "upbeat" because of a recent pledge of $10.6 billion in aid to Afghanistan.

The official said the situation was "slightly different" in Pakistan because the United States does not have U.S. forces on the ground there.

Musharraf has "been closely allied with us going after al-Qaida. And, again, you've got people who, in effect, are betting the farm, so to speak, that they can count on the United States to be there, and to support them, and in many cases provide the leadership necessary to prevail in this global conflict with these extreme elements of Islam," the official said.

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AP reporters Amir Shah in Bagram, Jason Straziuso in Kabul, Noor Khan in Kandahar and Terry Hunt in Washington contributed to this report.