U.S. troops call B-52 bomber into combat after being attacked

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A mammoth B-52 bomber was called into combat for the first time in five months Sunday to protect U.S. special forces battling armed Afghans outside a U.S. base.

No U.S. soldiers were injured during the shootout in western Afghanistan, but at least 11 Afghans were killed in factional fighting, U.S. and local officials said.

The battle began when a group of U.S. special forces patrolling outside Shindand air base stopped a group of armed Afghans on the roadside, U.S. military spokesman Col. Roger King said.

When the patrol stopped, the Afghans opened fire, King said.

The Americans returned fire, then called for air support while making their escape, King said. The B-52 bomber dropped seven 2,000-pound laser-guided bombs.

The last time U.S. forces reported using a B-52 in combat in Afghanistan was a July 1 attack in central Uruzgan province, when Afghan authorities say 48 civilians were killed and 117 were injured.

In that attack, a B-52 struck suspected al-Qaida and Taliban cave and bunker complexes, while an AC-130 gunship strafed several villages. U.S. officials said they believed the villages were legitimate targets.

Sunday's incident occurred as forces loyal to Ammanullah Khan, an ethnic Pashtun commander, and rival Ismail Khan clashed in the region. The fighting has forced thousands of residents to flee from at least 500 homes near the front line.

Ammanullah Khan accused his longtime adversary's ethnic Tajik forces of ordering a massive attack Saturday night -- using tanks, artillery and rocket launchers -- on his positions in Zer-e-Koh district, about 15 miles south of Shindand.

Ammanullah Khan said 11 of his fighters were killed and seven others were wounded. Neither side made any territorial advances, he said.

Neither Ismail Khan nor his deputies were available for comment.