US troops injured in Afghan bomb blast

A roadside bomb wounded six American troops in the same mountainous area where a commando team was ambushed and a special forces helicopter shot down last month, the US military said today.

Militants opened fire on the US convoy after the blast yesterday in Kunar province’s Asadabad district, prompting US forces to launch air strikes and artillery fire against suspected enemy positions, a US military statement said.

It was not immediately known whether any enemy fighters were killed or wounded, it said.

The wounded US troops were in stable condition after being taken to an airfield in nearby Parwan province for medical treatment.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure these wounded men receive the best medical care available,” said US army spokesman Lt Col Jerry O’Hara. “We are aggressively looking for the individuals responsible for this attack.”

On June 28, militants ambushed a US Navy SEAL commando team in Kunar, killing three of its four members. The fourth escaped after spending days in the rugged mountains.

The helicopter that was shot down had 16 troops on board who were rushing to help the ambushed special forces team.

US forces responded to the killings by rushing hundreds of troops to Kunar, but many of the militants fled across the nearby Pakistani border and regrouped, provincial officials said.

Yesterday’s attack was the first deadly assault on US forces in Kunar since last month, and may indicate that some of the militants have sneaked back across the poorly guarded border.

Meanwhile today in the Afghan capital Kabul a small bomb exploded at a police checkpoint, injuring two officers and a passer-by and damaging a UN vehicle, police said.

The blast occurred on a road near Kabul’s airport shortly after dawn, said police Gen Mabob Amiri.

The wounded were taken to a hospital.

The bomb went off as the UN vehicle passed the checkpoint, shattering the car’s windows. The Afghan driver was unhurt.

Elsewhere, in eastern Khost province, a pro-government Muslim cleric was wounded after a bomb buried outside his home exploded as he emerged from the house, said provincial intelligence chief Saviq Paraqhail.

The attack came a day after the Islamic leader gave a radio interview in which he condemned the Taliban.

Rebels have stepped up attacks across Afghanistan since March, killing more than 750 people and raising fears for crucial legislative elections in September.