Cruelbreed
07-05-2009, 06:53 PM
July 5, 2009
2 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Taliban Attack
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/t/taliban/index.html?inline=nyt-org) militants fired rockets and mortar shells at an American base in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing two United States soldiers and wounding several more in a two-hour battle, officials said.
During the clash, which ended only after United States forces called in airstrikes, a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden truck toward the base’s gates. It blew up when American troops fired on it.
The multipronged attack in Paktika Province, near the Pakistan border, was hundreds of miles from the major Marine assault in southern Afghanistan and underscored the militants’ ability to fight the American-led coalition on multiple fronts.
More than 30 insurgents were killed in the battle, in Zerok District, said Hamidullah Zawak, the provincial governor’s spokesman. Seven American soldiers and two Afghan soldiers were wounded, a United States military spokesman said.
Helicopters, airstrikes and fire from American troops killed at least 10 militants, according to a statement from the NATO (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/north_atlantic_treaty_organization/index.html?inline=nyt-org) force that the Americans were fighting under. The coalition troops detained one militant, the statement said. The discrepancy in the militants’ death tolls could not immediately be reconciled.
Responding to the Taliban’s resurgence, the Obama administration has ordered 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and expects the total number of Americans forces there to reach 68,000 by the year’s end.
As part of the new strategy, 4,000 Marines (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/us_marine_corps/index.html?inline=nyt-org) poured into the volatile southern province of Helmand on Thursday in the biggest United States military operation (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/world/asia/03helmand.html) in Afghanistan since 2001.
Also in the south, a roadside bomb on Saturday killed seven police officers in Kandahar Province, an Interior Ministry statement said. Two Afghan soldiers died Saturday in a separate blast in Musa Qala district in Helmand, the Defense Ministry said.
In the attack in Paktika, an insurgent drove a truck filled with explosives toward the gates of the American base, Mr. Zawak said. When the driver did not heed warnings to stop, troops opened fire on the truck, which exploded, he said.
The blast happened in the middle of a rocket and mortar attack on the base, which killed two American soldiers and wounded seven, said Specialist April Campbell, a United States military spokeswoman. The clash lasted for two hours before airstrikes were called in, which ended the fight, Mr. Zawak said.
Two Afghan soldiers were also wounded. The base housed American and Afghan soldiers.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujaheed, said the group claimed responsibility for the attack. After the blast, about 100 Taliban fighters fired at the coalition troops for several hours, briefly taking over two of their checkpoints, Mr. Mujaheed said.
Specialist Campbell denied that the Taliban captured any checkpoints.
Mr. Zawak said that 32 insurgents had been killed in the airstrikes, and that the authorities had recovered 16 bodies. Mr. Mujaheed said five insurgents had been killed and three were wounded. It was impossible to verify either claim because the base is in a remote area.
The attack happened in the same province where an American soldier and three Afghans were believed to have been captured (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/world/asia/03soldier.html) by insurgents on Tuesday.
American troops continued looking for the soldier, Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo of the Navy said Friday. The military has not publicly identified the soldier.
The Taliban faction led by Sirajuddin Haqqani (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/sirajuddin_haqqani/index.html?inline=nyt-per) operates in the area where the attack took place. The United States has accused Mr. Haqqani of ordering beheadings and suicide bombings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print
god bless and R.I.P
2 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Taliban Attack
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/t/taliban/index.html?inline=nyt-org) militants fired rockets and mortar shells at an American base in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, killing two United States soldiers and wounding several more in a two-hour battle, officials said.
During the clash, which ended only after United States forces called in airstrikes, a suicide bomber drove an explosives-laden truck toward the base’s gates. It blew up when American troops fired on it.
The multipronged attack in Paktika Province, near the Pakistan border, was hundreds of miles from the major Marine assault in southern Afghanistan and underscored the militants’ ability to fight the American-led coalition on multiple fronts.
More than 30 insurgents were killed in the battle, in Zerok District, said Hamidullah Zawak, the provincial governor’s spokesman. Seven American soldiers and two Afghan soldiers were wounded, a United States military spokesman said.
Helicopters, airstrikes and fire from American troops killed at least 10 militants, according to a statement from the NATO (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/n/north_atlantic_treaty_organization/index.html?inline=nyt-org) force that the Americans were fighting under. The coalition troops detained one militant, the statement said. The discrepancy in the militants’ death tolls could not immediately be reconciled.
Responding to the Taliban’s resurgence, the Obama administration has ordered 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and expects the total number of Americans forces there to reach 68,000 by the year’s end.
As part of the new strategy, 4,000 Marines (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/m/us_marine_corps/index.html?inline=nyt-org) poured into the volatile southern province of Helmand on Thursday in the biggest United States military operation (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/world/asia/03helmand.html) in Afghanistan since 2001.
Also in the south, a roadside bomb on Saturday killed seven police officers in Kandahar Province, an Interior Ministry statement said. Two Afghan soldiers died Saturday in a separate blast in Musa Qala district in Helmand, the Defense Ministry said.
In the attack in Paktika, an insurgent drove a truck filled with explosives toward the gates of the American base, Mr. Zawak said. When the driver did not heed warnings to stop, troops opened fire on the truck, which exploded, he said.
The blast happened in the middle of a rocket and mortar attack on the base, which killed two American soldiers and wounded seven, said Specialist April Campbell, a United States military spokeswoman. The clash lasted for two hours before airstrikes were called in, which ended the fight, Mr. Zawak said.
Two Afghan soldiers were also wounded. The base housed American and Afghan soldiers.
A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujaheed, said the group claimed responsibility for the attack. After the blast, about 100 Taliban fighters fired at the coalition troops for several hours, briefly taking over two of their checkpoints, Mr. Mujaheed said.
Specialist Campbell denied that the Taliban captured any checkpoints.
Mr. Zawak said that 32 insurgents had been killed in the airstrikes, and that the authorities had recovered 16 bodies. Mr. Mujaheed said five insurgents had been killed and three were wounded. It was impossible to verify either claim because the base is in a remote area.
The attack happened in the same province where an American soldier and three Afghans were believed to have been captured (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/03/world/asia/03soldier.html) by insurgents on Tuesday.
American troops continued looking for the soldier, Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo of the Navy said Friday. The military has not publicly identified the soldier.
The Taliban faction led by Sirajuddin Haqqani (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/sirajuddin_haqqani/index.html?inline=nyt-per) operates in the area where the attack took place. The United States has accused Mr. Haqqani of ordering beheadings and suicide bombings.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/world/asia/05afghan.html?ref=world&pagewanted=print
god bless and R.I.P