Rockets fired at US forces in Afghanistan

A US Special Forces patrol came under rocket attack in southeast Afghanistan but there were no casualties or damage, a US military…

A US Special Forces patrol came under rocket attack in southeast Afghanistan but there were no casualties or damage, a US military spokesman said this afternoon.

The rockets landed about 800 metres from the troops, who were training near Gardez, capital of Paktia province, 100 kilometres south of Kabul, the spokesman said.

A patrol from the 82nd Airborne Division was sent to investigate, he told reporters at Bagram Air Base 50 kilometres north of the Afghan capital.

Rockets - 107mm or 122mm - are the weapon of choice for Taliban and al-Qaeda extremists although their attacks seldom result in casualties or damage.

READ MORE

US troops and pro-government militias regularly come under attack from suspected Taliban remnants and their al-Qaeda allies in the south and east of the country.

In adjacent Paktika province two US servicemen were killed on April 25 in a firefight with a group of gunmen near the Pakistani border.

A US-led coalition of more than 10,000 troops is currently hunting down Taliban and al-Qaeda holdouts.

AFP