Firefight in Kabul brings new security questions

KABUL, Afghanistan -- Raising fresh doubts about Kabul security, gunmen assaulted an Afghan army post Wednesday, touching off a three-hour battle that killed 16 on Kabul's southern outskirts.

The firefight came as U.S. forces reported killing four men in a car in eastern Afghanistan the previous day. That incident was in the same area where Americans killed two men Monday, and Afghan leaders said the U.S. military operation had made local people edgy and angry.

Elsewhere, an American soldier was wounded Wednesday while on patrol south of Khost near Pakistan, officials said. The soldier's name and condition weren't released.

The bloodshed in Kabul was the worst incident in the city since the U.S.-led victory over the Taliban. In the initial months, there were some small-scale shootings, then a vice president in the transitional government was assassinated July 6 and last week Afghan authorities reported intercepting a would-be car bomber in the heart of Kabul.

One guerrilla and four soldiers were reported wounded. There was no word on if any attackers escaped.

Rashid said 20 soldiers and 20 police officers took part in the fight. There was no report of Americans being involved.

Bismullah Khan, a deputy defense minister, told AP the slain men were "Arabs and Pakistanis," and his deputy told national television they were members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network. He did not say how he knew this.