Afghan militant rocket damages US joint chief of staff's plane

Militants have fired rockets into an American base in Afghanistan, damaging the US joint chief of staff's plane while he was on a visit, a military official said today.

The American military chief was not near the aircraft at the time of the attack and no-one was injured.

Nato spokesman Jamie Graybeal said the attack at Bagram Air Field outside Kabul last night did not affect US Army General Martin Dempsey's mission in Afghanistan.

He said Gen Dempsey left this morning, though it was unclear if he went on the same plane.

The chief was in Afghanistan to discuss the state of the war after a string of disturbing killings of US military trainers by their Afghan partners.

AP