An American soldier was in serious condition at a German hospital Sunday, hours after he was airlifted from southern Afghanistan  with a gunshot wound to the head, the U.S. military said. The soldier, who was not identified, arrived early Sunday for treatment at the U.S. military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, but was later moved to an undisclosed local hospital, due to the seriousness of his wounds, said Marie Shaw, a hospital spokeswoman.

Military officials at the Kandahar Air Field said the incident occurred on Saturday and was not caused by hostile fire, but refused to give details.

The shooting is under investigation, they said.

Earlier this month a U.S. soldier was killed in a firefight in eastern Afghanistan. Sgt. Steven Checo, 22, a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, was shot while on a nighttime operation in the eastern province of Paktika, near the border of Pakistan. The assailants fled into Pakistan.

Checo was the 17th serviceman to die in combat in Afghanistan.

PHOTO CAPTION

U.S. Army soldiers carry the body of Sgt. Steven Checo, during his funeral at Mother Cabrini Church Saturday, Dec. 28, 2002, in the Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. Checo, 22, a soldier in the 82nd Airborne Division, died Dec. 21 from a gunshot wound during a firefight in eastern Afghanistan . (AP Photo/Scout Tufankjian)