Afghan gunfire targets soldiers

SUSAN B. GLASSER, THE WASHINGTON POST

Originally published Monday, April 15, 2002

KABUL, Afghanistan -- U.S. military forces and their Afghan allies came under fire in three incidents reported Sunday, heightening security concerns as authorities moved forward with plans to bring home Afghanistan's former king.

Gunmen ambushed a detachment of Special Forces accompanied by Afghan fighters on a nighttime patrol, triggering a shootout that ended when an AC-130 gunship was called in. The skirmish was the first in weeks involving U.S. troops.

Two other attacks also appeared aimed at U.S. troops or their Afghan allies. In the southern city of Kandahar, rockets targeted the office of the governor, who has worked closely with U.S. commanders. And in the eastern city of Khost, mortars were fired at an air base used by U.S. troops searching near the Pakistani border for remnants of Taliban and al-Qaida forces.

No Americans were reported hurt in the attacks.

The latest clash involving U.S. troops occurred Saturday night when about 10 Special Forces soldiers traveling with Afghan fighters in several vehicles were fired upon. U.S. soldiers returned fire, but the attackers kept advancing, said Maj. Bryan Hilferty, a spokesman for U.S. forces. An AC-130 soon arrived and pummeled the enemy, leaving several dead as the rest disappeared into the night.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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