At least 19 dead in ammo dump blast blamed on rockets

SPINBOLDAK, Afghan-istan -- Rockets, bullets and flaming munitions ripped through a dusty border town Friday after a large ammunition dump blew up, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens of others. The local Afghan commander blamed a rocket attack for triggering the blast.

The explosion was the latest in a series of violent incidents to rock the region on both sides of the Afghanistan-Pakistan frontier. On Wednesday, 10 Pakistani soldiers died in a shootout with suspected al-Qaida fugitives.

Fazaludin Agha, the local commander in Spinboldak, 300 miles southwest of Kabul, said it was not known who fired the rocket he said set off the initial explosion.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Lapan said no U.S. military forces were involved when the explosions occurred.