The he US military resumed helicopter relief flights in the earthquake zone on Wednesday, but steered clear of an area where it believes a rocket grenade was fired at one of its aircraft on Tuesday. The Pakistani Army called the incident close to Chakothi, a town near Line of Control, a misunderstanding caused by a US helicopter crew mistaking engineers blasting a damaged road as attackers. But Commander Nick Balice, a spokesman for the US military’s Disaster Assistance Centre in Pakistan, said the crew, some of whom had served with US forces in Afghanistan, were familiar with rocket propelled grenade fire.‘‘Based on the reports we had from crew members that’s what we think it was,’’ he said. ‘‘We are staying a safe distance away from that area as we continue to investigate the incident.’’The US Central Command said the CH-47 Chinook helicopter was not hit and landed safely. It has not said who it believes fired the rocket, but the area is one in which Kashmiri militant groups are known to operate. —Reuters
