Afghan Ally Killed in U.S. Firefight

Feb. 17 -- American Special Forces and allied Afghan forces on a routine patrol in eastern Afghanistan got into a firefight after they were fired upon at a roadblock, a U.S. official said.

One U.S.-allied Afghan fighter was killed and two or three were injured in the gunfight on Saturday, said Adm. Craig Quigley of U.S. Central Command. There were no American casualties.

U.S. warplanes bombed an enemy position on a nearby hilltop immediately after the attack, and on again on Sunday. According to the Pentagon, huge secondary explosions indicated a large weapons store at the site.

The firefight took place at about 1 a.m. ET on Saturday, Quigley said, adding that the bombings took place at 2 a.m. Saturday and 2 a.m. today.

Purposeful Killing?

The skirmishes came as the interim Afghan government and international peacekeeping forces in Kabul attempted to maintain order in the face of possible armed attacks against them.

A commander of the peacekeeping forces claims his troops were fired upon for the first time on Saturday, and Afghan interim Prime Minister Hamid Karzai has said he believes last week's slaying of Abdul Rehman, the country's civil aviation and tourism minister, was a planned attack by officials within his administration.

Initially, it was thought the killing at the Kabul airport was a mob action in response to delays on transportation to Saudi Arabia for the Muslim holy pilgrimage to Mecca known as the hajj.

"It had nothing to do with the hajj, ladies and gentlemen," Karzai told a news conference today. "And we announced those names or the names of the people who have committed this crime and they'll be taken and arrested."

Karzai said Saudi Arabian officials have been given the names of individuals his government wants sent back to be tried for the killing. Asked if those allegedly responsible for the murder would be held up as an example and be severely punished, Karzai said, "We are trying to do justice, and if justice is considered an example, yes."