An American F-16 aircraft was hit while doing a patrol of Afghanistan, officials said Oct 19, according to Reuters.
The F-16 was hit by small arms fire in the Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan Oct. 13, which is an area mainly controlled by the Taliban, according to AFP. A stabilizer was hit and the munitions being carried were damaged, said Captain Jeff Davis, a second official and spokesman for the Department of Defense.
Though the Taliban is suspected as perpetrators of this crime, it is not known definitely if they are responsible. With an ongoing civil war within Afghanistan, the idea of the Taliban involvement is very popular.
The pilot, U.S. Air Force Capt. Susan Harrington, said that after the incident, she was able to land the aircraft safely in Bagram Airfield, according to CNN. "Our pilots routinely face threats from the ground, however, they are well-trained and prepared to respond to any threat or attack," she said.
It is not believed that a missile was used to do this because the plane would have likely went down.
"As a precautionary measure, it jettisoned two of its fuel tanks [and] three of its munitions before safely returning to the base," said Davis.
