US helicopter fires on civilian vehicle in southeastern Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP): A U.S. helicopter fired a rocket at a pickup truck carrying civilians in southeastern Afghanistan, injuring at least three people, local authorities said Thursday.
The truck was carrying six passengers when it came under fire late Wednesday at the Many Kandow Pass in Urgun district of Paktika province, said Khan Sayed, spokesman for the provincial police.
Provincial Gov. Mohammed Ali Jalali said three people were injured and taken to the hospital, but he had no further details about their condition.
Jalali said the helicopter opened fire after sporadic shooting from unidentified gunmen in the area. It was unclear if the shooting had been directed at the helicopter.
In rural Afghanistan most men are armed and firing is not rare.
The U.S. military, leading a coalition of forces hunting Taliban guerrillas and their allies in Afghanistan, were not immediately available to comment.
The Taliban militia, ousted in late 2001, have been blamed for daring attacks on Afghan police in recent days, including in Paktika.
During their rule, the Taliban routinely traveled in pickup trucks and there have been previous reports from Afghanistan of coalition forces mistakenly firing on trucks, suspecting they were being operated by Taliban fugitives. However, pickups are also regularly used by refugees returning across the border from Pakistan and by extended families who travel in large numbers.
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