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US-Afghan Army Convoy Fires Flares, Hits Drivers on Road

Afghans march in convoy with cars decorated with black flags and portraits of late Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud marking the 18th anniversary of his death, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Afghans march in convoy with cars decorated with black flags and portraits of late Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud marking the 18th anniversary of his death, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
    Asharq Al-Awsat
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US-Afghan Army Convoy Fires Flares, Hits Drivers on Road

Afghans march in convoy with cars decorated with black flags and portraits of late Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud marking the 18th anniversary of his death, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Afghans march in convoy with cars decorated with black flags and portraits of late Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud marking the 18th anniversary of his death, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

A local witness and the US mission in Afghanistan said a joint US-Afghan military convoy has fired flares at several civilian vehicles, causing the cars to catch fire and injuries.

The US forces statement on Saturday said that the US troops released flares as a deterrent after making several attempts to wave the drivers off the road, but didn't aim at the vehicles.

It said the US forces were trying to stop the vehicles from approaching the military convoy in eastern Laghman province Friday night, the Associated Press reported.

Imad Dawran, a witness to the incident, said he was waiting for the convoy to pass, but suddenly he received flare shots that caused him minor injuries and hit his car.

He said he also saw at least two other vehicles on fire on the road.

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Case of Italian Journalist Detained in Iran ‘Complicated’, Rome Says

A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
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Case of Italian Journalist Detained in Iran ‘Complicated’, Rome Says

A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)
A file picture dated 26 September 2023 shows Italian journalist and writer Cecilia Sala as a guest in the TV show "Stasera c'è Cattelan" in the RAI studios in Milan, Italy (issued 28 December 2024). (EPA)

The case of an Italian journalist being held in Iran is "complicated", but Rome hopes to bring 29-year-old Cecilia Sala home quickly, Italy's foreign minister said on Saturday.

Sala, 29, who works for the newspaper Il Foglio and the podcast company Chora Media, was detained in Tehran on Dec. 19 but her arrest was only made public on Friday.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said he hoped the issue could be resolved quickly but added: "It doesn't depend on us."

"We're trying to solve an issue that's complicated," he was quoted as saying by the news agency ANSA.

Tajani said Sala was being held in a single cell, in decent conditions that Italy would keep monitoring:

"It looks like she is being treated in a way that is respectful of personal dignity," he said. "So far we haven't had negative feedback."

Tajani said the official reason for Sala's detention was not yet clear, but that he hoped her lawyer could visit her soon and find out more.

There was no official public confirmation of the arrest from Iran, and Tajani declined to say whether it might be linked to the arrest of an Iranian in Italy this month at the request of the US.

Sala, who is being held in Tehran's Evin prison, left Italy for Iran on Dec. 12 with a valid journalist visa, Chora Media said on Friday. She had been due to fly back to Rome on Dec. 20.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was following Sala's case closely with the aim of bringing her home as soon as possible, urging the media to treat the issue with the "necessary caution".