AGGreen
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 Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 6:03 pm Post subject: Homicide Bombers Attack U.S. Base in Afghanistan; 13 Killed |
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Homicide Bombers Attack U.S. Base in Afghanistan; 13 Killed
Tuesday , August 19, 2008
KABUL, Afghanistan -
Homicide bombers tried unsuccessfully to storm a U.S. military base near
Afghanistan-Pakistan border in a daring attack on a major American
installation, officials said Tuesday. Six insurgents detonated their vests
after being surrounded.
The attack came a day after a homicide bomb outside the same base killed 10
civilians and wounded 13 others. The fighting was still going on early
Tuesday, said U.S. coalition spokesman 1st Lt. Nathan Perry. There have been
no American deaths, he said.
The militants failed to gain entry to Camp Salerno in Khost city after
launching waves of attacks just before midnight on Monday, said Arsallah
Jamal, the governor of Khost. The base is just a few miles from Pakistan's
border.
Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, said
Afghan soldiers, aided by U.S. troops, chased and surrounded a group of
insurgents, and that six militants blew themselves up when cornered. Seven
other militants died in those explosions and a rolling gun battle, he said.
"(The Afghan National Army) is saying that anytime we get close to them,
they detonate themselves," Jamal said.
At least 13 insurgents and two Afghan civilians died in the attack,
officials said. Five Afghan soldiers were wounded in the fighting, Azimi
said.
The Taliban appeared to confirm the account. Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban
spokesman, said 15 militants had been dispatched for the attack on Salerno.
Seven blew themselves up and eight returned to a Taliban safehouse, he said.
Jamal said the bodies of at least two dead militants were outside the
checkpoint leading to the base's airport, both of whom had on vests packed
with explosives, Jamal said. It wasn't clear if those militants were among
the dead in Azimi's count.
Militants have long targeted U.S. bases with homicide bombers, but
coordinated attacks on such a major base are rare.
The attack comes a day after the top U.S. general in the region, Maj. Gen.
Jeffrey J. Schloesser, issued a rare public warning that militants planned
to attack civilian, military and government targets during the celebration
of Independence Day on Monday.
More than 3,400 people - mostly militants - have been killed in
insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press
count based on figures from Western and Afghan officials. |
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Alexander Arnakis
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 7:12 pm Post subject: Re: Homicide Bombers Attack U.S. Base in Afghanistan; 13 Kil |
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On Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:03:19 -0400, "AGGreen"
<AGGreen@not_the_imposter.edu> wrote:
| Quote: | Homicide Bombers Attack U.S. Base in Afghanistan; 13 Killed
Tuesday , August 19, 2008
The term "homicide bomber" is an Israeli meme, and is an indication of |
the source of the story (neoconservative or pro-Israeli). Otherwise,
"suicide bomber" is an adequate description. Likewise, when news
stories spell Kosovo as "Kosova," it means that they're originating
from a pro-Albanian source. |
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