Korean base in Afghanistan hit by artillery

A base for South Korea's aid workers and troops in Afghanistan has been shelled, but no injuries were reported, a military official said Thursday.

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. Wednesday local time, or early Thursday in Korean time, according to the Korean military official.

"There were no injuries or damages 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."

South Korea has about 90 aid workers and police officers in Afghanistan as its 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 such attack on the South Korean base in Charika this year. The official here said the Ashena unit didn't notice any unusual developments around the base after the shells dropped.

It was the first attack on the South Korean base since the death of Osama bin Laden, an al-Qaida mastermind 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 of bin Laden's death.

"The Ashena unit has been on raised alert since April 30," the South Korean official said. "They're prepared for any contingencies in light of recent developments in Afghanistan." (Yonhap)