KABUL (Reuters) - Anti-aircraft guns opened fire on at least one plane high in the sky over the Afghan capital on Saturday, and a Defense Ministry official said the army was trying to shoot down a second unidentified aircraft. (Read photo caption below)
Firing was intense for about 15 minutes from anti-aircraft batteries around Kabul and was directed at two planes flying high over the city, a witness said.
The shooting worried a population that is already nervous ahead of anticipated U.S. strikes in pursuit of Saudi-fugitive Osama bin Laden.
Once the anti-aircraft fire started on Saturday, one plane disappeared at high speed and the second was seen circling in the clear blue sky over the war-shattered capital. At least one surface-to-air missile was fired at the aircraft as it circled.
The plane was an unmanned aircraft used for reconnaissance to spot Taliban air defense positions, said one official on condition of anonymity.
The Taliban said they shot down a U.S. spy plane on September 22 near Samangan, 240 km (150 miles) northwest of Kabul, although the Pentagon said it could have crashed because of mechanical failure.
``Other provinces are calm. There has been no air intrusion in any part of the country, including Kandahar,'' the official said, referring to the southern stronghold of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
It was the first time anti-aircraft batteries had opened fire in Kabul since test-firing a few days ago that sent residents scurrying for cover.
An official in Kandahar said military commanders were preparing for fighting in the face of threats of U.S. strikes.
PHOTO CAPTION:
There were sustained bursts of anti-aircraft fire on Saturday as gunners tried to shoot down an unidentified aircraft high above the capital, Kabul. Al-Jazeera satellite station showed footage of what it described as an unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and a missile that missed aircraft blew up in a puff of white smoke. The plane then flew off toward the north.