Gunfire, Explosions Heard at U.S. Afghan Base

Wed Feb 13,11:47 AM ET

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Heavy gunfire and a number of explosions were heard at the U.S. military base in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar Wednesday, a witness said.

Reuters Television cameraman Taras Protsyuk said the shooting at Kandahar airport lasted around half an hour and was intense for a period of about five minutes.

"I've seen the tracers and there were some light explosions like hand grenades," he said. "Americans appeared to be firing at a point in the hills to the west side of the airbase."

Operations in Afghanistan by the U.S. military and its allies to mop up remnants of the vanquished Taliban and the al Qaeda network of fugitive militant Osama bin Laden are based at Kandahar airport.

"We have no comment at the moment about the present situation but one thing I can say is this is not an exercise," said Maj. Chris LeMay, senior press officer for the more than 400-strong Canadian army contingent at the base.

There are around 4,100 military personnel based at Kandahar airport, with the majority from the United States.

Protsyuk said the heaviest firing was on the airport's western perimeter around half a mile from the terminal building, but he was unsure whether the explosions occurred inside or outside the fence.

All lights at the base were turned off except those illuminating a high-security jail holding Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners, while two helicopters circled hills just outside the base, he said.

Last month, U.S. forces seized a cache of weapons under a building and in tunnels near the base a few days after up to 14 gunmen briefly fired toward U.S. positions with small arms.

No U.S. troops were hurt in the probing fire by the gunmen, who were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and used flares to illuminate U.S. Marine positions.

Kandahar was the last bastion of the Taliban, a movement that imposed a hard-line brand of Islam on Afghanistan until it was toppled by U.S. bombing and attacks by the opposition Northern Alliance late last year.