USA fighter jet hit during Afghanistan mission

A US F-16 was struck by enemy fire in eastern Afghanistan in a rare instance of an advanced fighter jet coming under attack by insurgents, military officials say.

The multi-million dollar jet sustained significant damage, forcing it to jettison its fuel tanks and munitions before returning to base, officials said.

“On October 13, an F-16 encountered small arms fire”.

“The small-arms fire did affect one of the aircraft’s stabilizers and cause damage to one of the munitions it was carrying”.

“The pilot jettisoned two fuel tanks and three munitions before safely returning to base”, the statement said.

Stabilizers are located in the tail section of the high-flying aircraft.

The USA military official said the F-16 landed at the Bagram air base, north of Kabul.

Davis did not have details about the caliber of the ammunition rounds that struck the aircraft though he noted that use of a shoulder-fired air defense system had been ruled out.

After receiving what is believed to be small arms fire, a US fighter jet had to land.

About 9,800 USA troops remain in Afghanistan and the US continues to provide airstrikes in support of the Afghan security forces.

The photos, as described by the French news agency, showed masked militants standing around the weapons and external fuel tanks.

The incident took place six days ago in the relatively Paktia province where anti-government armed militants belonging to Taliban and Haqqani network are actively operating in a number of its districts.

“F-16s regularly fly combat air patrols across Afghanistan in support of ground forces”, Cabiness wrote in an email.

Since the 2014 drawdown, the US Air Force has maintained one squadron of F-16s at Bagram Air Base.

The incident involving a USA pilot is the latest in a string of violence in Afghanistan, including more than two weeks of fighting in Kunduz as the Taliban tried to take over the city.