Korean base shelled in Afghanistan for 6th time

A base for Korea’s aid workers and troops in Afghanistan was shelled again, but no injuries were reported, a military official said yesterday.

Four artillery shells dropped in and around the base compound in Charika, a city in the northern Afghan province of Parwan, around 9:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, or early Thursday Korean time, according to the military official.

“There were no injuries or damage to facilities or properties,” he said. “Two of the shells appear to have dropped inside the base, with one of them landing outside and the other detonating in midair.

“We have yet to confirm who was responsible for the attack,” the official added.

Korea has about 90 aid workers and police officers in Afghanistan working as a provincial reconstruction team, or PRT.

Some 340 troops are stationed there as members of the “Ashena” unit to protect the team.

This is the sixth attack on the base in Charika this year. The official said the Ashena unit didn’t notice any unusual developments around the base after the shells dropped.

It was the first attack on the base since the death of Osama bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader killed by U.S. forces earlier this week. Nations around the world have put their foreign missions on heightened alert for potential acts of terrorism in retaliation for Bin Laden’s death.

“The Ashena unit has been on heightened alert since April 30,” the Korean official said. “They’re prepared for any contingencies in light of recent developments in Afghanistan.”

Yonhap