April 3, 2003	Thursday	Muharram 30, 1424

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BAGRAM AIR BASE (Afghanistan), April 2: A US base came under rocket attack in eastern Afghanistan, a military spokeswoman said on Wednesday as Washington expressed concern about recent attacks on foreigners in the war-ravaged country.

Three suspected rockets were fired on Tuesday night at the Asadad base in Kunar province neighbouring Pakistan’s northwest tribal belt, US Captain Alayne Cramer told reporters at Bagram Air Base 50 kilometres north of Kabul.

“Two suspected rockets were fired at the fire base of Asadabad at approximately midnight last night. Another possible rocket was fired 40 minutes later,” she said. The rockets did not cause any casualties or damage.

In Washington the US State Department expressed concern over a recent spate of attacks in which one foreign Red Cross worker and two US soldiers were killed in the past week. The International Security Assistance Force headquarters compound in central Kabul also came under rocket attack for the first time on Sunday night.

Humanitarian organisations have suspended field trips following the execution-style killing of Salvadoran-born water engineer Ricardo Munguia in southern Uruzgan province last Thursday.

Meanwhile, near Gardez, capital of eastern Paktia province, US troops were on Tuesday night accidentally fired on by Afghan militia soldiers but there were no casualties, Captain Cramer said. —AFP