US soldier shot in Afghanistan

An American soldier was seriously wounded in southern Afghanistan from a gunshot wound to the head, but it was not due to hostile fire, the US military said today.

The incident occurred at the Kandahar airfield and the soldier, who was not identified, has been flown to Germany for treatment,

The shooting was under investigation, the spokesman said, refusing to give further details.

Earlier this month a US soldier was killed in a firefight in eastern Afghanistan.

Sergeant Steven Checo, 22, a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, was shot on a night operation in the eastern province of Paktika, near the border of Pakistan.

The assailants fled into Pakistan.

Checo was the 17th serviceman to die in combat in Afghanistan.