Official: Cheney returns to U.S.

02/28/2007

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Vice President Dick Cheney arrived in the United States early Wednesday and is expected to meet with President Bush later in the morning, a senior administration official said.

Cheney's plane touched down around 4 a.m. and he is expected to return to work around 7:40 a.m.

He returns a day after a security scare at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan, where a suicide car bomber struck the base's main gate, killing at least 15 people. The Taliban later claimed responsibility for the Tuesday morning attack and reportedly said Cheney was the target.

Cheney -- who was at least a half mile from the site of the bombing -- briefly took cover in a bomb shelter as a precaution.

Cheney's trip included stops in Australia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.