Gen. Martin Dempsey's plane hit by rocket at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan

Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey (C) listens to a soldier at the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters in Kabul, Aug. 20, 2012. / Getty

Updated at 8:22 a.m. Eastern

(CBS News) LONDON - The plane of the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, was damaged by enemy fire on the Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, causing minor damage to the C-17 plane and leaving two American members of the ground crew with minor injuries from shrapnel, according to U.S. officials.

The plane was empty on the tarmac at Bagram when an unspecified projectile struck nearby overnight, and Dempsey's trip to Afghanistan was not affected, according to the Pentagon. The top U.S. military officer was safe in his quarters when the incident occurred.

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Dempsey left Afghanistan Tuesday morning on a different plane due to the damage to his C-17 from shrapnel, according the the International Security Assistance Force - Afghanistan, or ISAF.

A military helicopter was also damaged in the overnight attack on Bagram.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the two rounds of artillery fired on the air base. His claim could not be independently verified.

The sprawling U.S.-controlled airbase regularly comes under rocket or mortar fire from outside of its perimeters - approximately twice per month, according to ISAF - but the attacks rarely inflict significant damage.

The Joint Chiefs chairman arrived in Afghanistan Monday on an unannounced visit to meet with his top commanders in the country, as well as senior Afghan military and civilian officials.

His visit came amid a worrying spike in so-called "insider attacks" on U.S. and other international forces, whereby Afghan security forces turn their guns on the Western forces working alongside them.

[DOGGYPANTS]

This is very troubling. Obama's Afghan Policy, like his stimulus, and Summer of Recovery, is a disaster. GI deaths have more than doubled. Our Commander in Chief is too busy worrying about abortion to help his Corpsmen.

[TimeToEvolve]

Hopefully we can get out of Afghanistan before RobMe and his Wall Street masters start the next war in Iran.

[TimeToEvolve]

Just look at that whole mess, and I mean mess, of people in that photo. They don't seem to realize that their whole purpose in life is to be cannon fodder for Wall Street and the Top 1%. They are not there for defense of America but for the imperial motives and greed of the giant American corporations. So very, very sad and tragic.

[BFR50]

Bring the troops home Obama Bin Lyin' like you said you would.
Enough is enough or maybe we will put you out there in Air Force One and see how you like being in the line of fire.
Lying Cur

[netjunkie1]

2014

[B_Erhart]

...since it is election year this would be a good opportunity to have the 3 branches of gov't deploy to AfPak and those that come back are the default next prez, congress, senate & SC. ALL mil ind complex lobbys/thinktanks MUST also deploy to insure they get an 'understanding' of what the situation is... Again, those lobbyists that come back get to influence the next gov't etc. Rinse. Repeat, till these treasonous vultures are purged.

[iamproteus]

And that's the most intelligent comment you can muster up? Really?

[B_Erhart]

iamproteus can deploy too...

[Robert_In_Texas]

If everyone knew just how many rocket and mortar attacks of one, two or three projectiles are fired, people would want to know why we don't return fire. Of the hundreds of indirect fire attacks on NATO position, this one actually hit something more valuable than a porta potty. A US troop has a better chance of picking a winning lottery number than getting hit by these harassing fire missions. If the Taliban was half-a**ed good they would have hit the damn aircraft on the second round - the target was bigger than a camel or a mosque. Even Washing Machine Charlie hit an ammo dump a couple of times.

[netjunkie1]

My neighborhood police dept. has a system to tell where fire came from.
Are you gonna say we don't know exactly where the fire came from in Afghanistan with 51% of our tax money to pay for their toys?

[BettyNwar]

Viva Taliban!

[paul2313]

Well it looks like one side is trying to fight the war. Glad to see more of my tax dollars being wasted on targets for the Taliban.

[TimeToEvolve]

We let the oil corporations and military war profiteers pull George Bushoccios wires until he invaded Afghanistan like the good puppet he was.

They were able to reap billions in profits using taxpayer money and the lives of thousands of American soldiers. Now we are still the bullying, occupying force in another country that we had no business going into in the first place. Me and many of my fellow progressives tried to warn the sorry butts of out fellow citizens.

[paul2313]

As a member of the so called 1%, I can give you 2/3's of my paycheck and sell my 2nd car and boat (that I worked hard for)and give you the money. In that way you will not have to work and still remain here and make up more stories on "how to make elves disappear".

[BigBlivefromny]

Hey 'Evolve', this crap's been goin' on for about a hundred years now. Since teddy Roosevelt's 'Big Stick' diplomacy when we blew up the USS Maine in Cuba to start a fake war, and we lorded our military power over Mexico, and South America...all to further big corporations here in US. Thing is MANY congressman then and senators protested these actions LOUDLY as did many Americans who said the founding fathers would have rolled over in their graves at such American intervention in foreign lands. Well, guess what,the $$$Money$$$ won out and the rich just gotta get richer and richer!, and that, my friend is life in America.

[TimeToEvolve]

The freedom fighter of Afghanistan are getting to be better and better shots. That's what happens when you give them over a decade of training and practice.

[BettyNwar]

No occupying power has ever subdued the various tribes that we call Afghani. Further, guerrillas usually prevail against colonial (or neo-colonial) armies. It's their land, and they will die to rid it of foreign invaders. The US? Our troops are there for career advancement, biding their time until their tour is up, or to indulge their sadism (it's sanctioned, so heroic sadism, of course).

[AOCGUY]

Trust me, no troops are there for career advancement. Most have multiple tours, are there only because they were told to go and would much prefer to be back home with their families.