Rocket lands outside U.S. military site

BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- A rocket landed outside the U.S. military headquarters at Bagram north of the capital Kabul early Wednesday and several observation points at the base were attacked a few minutes later by gunfire. No U.S. soldiers were injured.

The 107-mm rocket struck the ground harmlessly near the southwest perimeter of the Bagram Air Base around 12:30 p.m., said Sgt. Kelly Tyler, a U.S. military spokeswoman. Apache helicopters were scrambled to defend the base, but the assailants vanished.

Some 15 minutes later, an observation point at the base reported being under small arms fire and returned fire. U.S. soldiers believe one of the men was wounded. At least two other observation points reported being attacked by gunfire by "suspicious" people moving in the darkness.

"The area around the base is open to people so you could approach the base in a number of places," Tyler said. "Unless you're engaging in some suspicious activity, then we don't have any reason to challenge them unless something like this occurs -- then every movement that's made is assessed."

U.S. troops across Afghanistan are often fired on with rockets or small arms fire, although casualties and damage are rare. The last attack on the Bagram base happened Jan. 9 when a gunman opened fire on a checkpoint protecting the perimeter of the 1.7-square-mile base. The gunman was hit and fell in a mined area.

On Tuesday, U.S. Special Forces troops detained two men carrying AK-47 rifles, a shotgun and binoculars near the U.S. base at Shkhin in eastern Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. A third man fled.