U.S. Forces Take Fire in 3 Afghanistan Incidents

By Kathleen T. Rhem
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2002 – U.S. forces in Afghanistan took enemy fire Nov. 19 in three different incidents. No Americans were injured.

The first incident occurred at approximately 6:30 a.m. local time. Unknown assailants fired automatic weapons toward and above the firebase at Tarin Kowt, about 200 miles southwest of Kabul. Defense officials said a quick reaction force was sent to investigate, but no other details were available.

A Special Forces unit based in Jalalabad, about 60 miles east of Kabul, was searching a compound for a suspected weapons cache at about 7 a.m. local time when five persons opened fire with AK-47 rifles. The attackers fled when the soldiers returned fire, officials said.

The soldiers continued their search and took sniper fire when they entered a building. They again returned fire and may have wounded the sniper, though no one was found, officials reported. The search confirmed the compound had been used as a drug lab.

Early in the afternoon of Nov. 19, a Special Forces unit in Asadabad, east of Kabul on the border with Pakistan, reported enemy contact. Defense officials said A-10 Thunderbolts from Bagram responded and dropped two 500- pound bombs and fired more than 300 30mm cannon rounds on the target area. There was no information available on enemy casualties.

A Defense Department spokesman said there was no indication any of the incidents were related.