Taliban Bombers Attack Air Base in Afghanistan
Source: NY Times
KABUL, Afghanistan — KABUL, Afghanistan — Early Sunday morning, Taliban forces attacked a large coalition airfield in eastern Afghanistan early Sunday morning, detonating threecar bombs near the entrance of the base before sparking a two-hour gun battle that claimed the lives of nine insurgents, three Afghan security guards and at least four civilians whose vehicle was caught in the cross-fire, Afghan officials and witnesses said.
Disguised in coalition military uniforms, Taliban fighters attempted to enter the base following the initial suicide blasts, which took place just before 6 a.m., but were repelled by a battery of coalition firepower that included helicopter gunships, officials said. The confrontation wounded fewer than 10 coalition service members according to official reports, though by late Sunday it remained unclear exactly how many had been hurt or how severely. At least one member of the Afghan military was killed in the fighting.
The Taliban quickly claimed responsibility for the operation, claiming to have killed “tens” of foreign forces, though the insurgents routinely overstate the deadliness of their attacks.
But the coordinated assault, which left the entry to the base strewn with the bloody remains of the bombers, was a potent reminder of the Taliban’s determination to continue the fight. As the coalition forces wind down the 11-year war, with Western combat troops already withdrawing, the Taliban attacks serve as a consistent reminder that they are not going anywhere — and that their firepower remains. How successful such defenses will be after the 2014 withdrawal of coalition forces is a question on the minds of many Afghans.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/world/asia/taliban-bombers-attack-air-base-in-afghanistan.html?_r=0
= new reply since forum marked as read
truth is a motherf.....!
Looks like a rerun of the Viet Nam war and it may end like the Viet Nam war with the country going back to what it was which may not be good for the people. What a waste and then it goes back to the same people.
