Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith was caught in a dramatic scare in war-torn Afghanistan when rockets were fired as his plane sat on the tarmac at Kandahar air base, he said Thursday. But Smith, who was in Afghanistan to discuss Canberra's proposed withdrawal of troops from the country in 2014, played down the threat to him and his staff.
Reports said the minister's air force Hercules C130 transport plane came under threat on Tuesday when the airport's radar defence system detected incoming rocket fire. The rockets reportedly fell elsewhere on the air base.
"The Hercules was immediately placed in full lockdown with all occupants ordered to don helmets and assume crouching positions on the floor of the plane," News Limited newspapers reported.