October 11, 2002	Friday	Sha'aban 4, 1423

BAGRAM, Oct 10: A 107mm rocket was fired at US special operations forces in Afghanistan but no soldier was killed or wounded, a military spokesman said on Thursday.

Major Steve Clutter said the attack occurred on Wednesday in Asadabad, about 160kms northeast of Jalalabad, near the Afghan border with Pakistan.

He said it was unclear whether the US troops, which are operating in the region to capture Al Qaeda and Taliban holdouts, were on patrol or at a fixed location when they were fired at.

“Unfortunately, we were not able to locate the suspect that fired the rocket,” said Clutter, but added there was no mistaking that the attack was directed at the US troops.

“It was fired at their position,” he said.

Also on Wednesday, near the town of Khost, US forces from the 82nd Airborne Division discovered eight 107 mm rockets on private land just outside a major US forward operating base.

Salerno Base is home to a battalion of US troops. The land owner where the rockets were discovered said he had possessed the rockets for some time. He told the US troops that he found them on his property but was afraid to turn them in.

“He just hid them in his haystack and hoped we wouldn’t find them,” Clutter said.

He said the land owner was not detained. “They believed him,” he said.

The United States is looking for weapons as well as personnel, hoping that by reducing the availability of arms, troops operating in the vicinity will be safer.

“Part of our goal is to hunt and capture al Qaeda, but it is also very important that we are able to hunt and capture their weapons,” Clutter said.—Reuters