SHAHJOI, Afghanistan, Feb. 18, 2007
8 U.S. Troops Killed In Afghan Crash
Military: Chinook Helicopter Reported Engine Problems Before Going Down
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A U.S. military humvee guards the scene of a U.S. CH-47 Chinook helicopter crash in the Shahjoi district of Zabul province in southeastern Afghanistan on Sunday Feb. 18, 2007. Eight American troops were killed and 14 were wounded when the helicopter crashed. (AP)
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Interactive Rebuilding Afghanistan Learn about the nation's geography, history and people and find out what is being done to rebuild.
A man who "appeared to be chanting and refused to heed warnings to stop" was shot dead as he crossed a road Saturday about seven miles west of Kandahar city, the alliance said in a statement.
Troops thought he was carrying a device with protruding wires. They later found that "he had twine, straps and other materials protruding from his jacket, which resembled wires, but there were no explosives," it said.
NATO-led troops also shot to death another Afghan man on Saturday believed to be a suicide bomber as he ran between vehicles of a military convoy stopped near Kandahar's military airfield.
President Hamid Karzai has repeatedly called on U.S. and NATO-led troops to exercise extreme caution to prevent civilian casualties. Dozens of civilian deaths during operations by foreign troops have undermined his authority among Afghans.
Afghan troops, meanwhile, detained 11 suspected militants Saturday at a checkpoint in Sangin district of the volatile neighboring province, Helmand, said Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi.
The men were traveling in two trucks and were carrying mortar tubes when they were stopped, Azimi said Sunday.
In an operation that ended early Sunday, British and Afghan troops attacked a major Taliban headquarters south of Garmsir in Helmand, destroying three major compounds and a tunnel complex linking them, according to an ISAF statement.
There were no British or Afghan casualties. It was not immediately clear if any Taliban were killed or arrested in the operation.
Southern Afghanistan is the center of the growing Taliban insurgency as well as the world's biggest opium poppy-producing area.
Meanwhile, al Qaeda released a video showing a young man asking for forgiveness from family, friends and teachers before he purportedly carries out a suicide car bombing against foreign troops in Afghanistan.
The video also carries previously released comments from Ayman al-Zawahri, al Qaeda's No. 2 leader, as a train of armed men are shown walking through mountains and while an explosion hits a military vehicle on a turn in a road.
In the video, the man, who does not identify himself, asks his parents to pray for patience when they get word that he has been "martyred."
Last year, militant supporters of the resurgent Taliban stepped up attacks, targeting Afghan government and foreign security forces. According to the U.S. military, there were 139 suicide attacks during 2006, up from 27 in 2005.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 23 CommentsWe must put it in perspective, how many folks were killed on our highways today??
Posted by mbcsmith at 03:56 PM : Feb 19, 2007
They would have gotten someone else to do it. They could never have gotten congress%u2019s go ahead to invade Iraq without 911, or something like it.
I don't think you could subdue three or four counties in the US with the size of the force in Afganistan. Of course the British established a precendent for losing there a century ago. Our great commander in chief's war experience was a few months hiding in the Air National Guard in Alabama working on reublican campaigns. Sure I want to let him lead me into battle.
Posted by talkingham at 12:32 PM : Feb 19, 2007
Had Clinton accepted the Sudanese offer of Bin Laden, 9/11 would not have occurred. HIS mess was to Bush to clean up!
Tee Hee." -- Lieberman181
Your surge of humor is about as effective as THE BUSH SURGE in Baghdad.
Weren't you declaring VICTORY the other day ?
I told you it was too soon to pop open the champagne bottles.
You should have listened.
http://www.aipac.org/forms/join_aipacClubs.htm
The Elite Minyan group - you mean for a minimum of only $100,000 dollars
a year I too can shape world policy? Tell me more!
I especially like the bit about enjoying "the exclusivity you deserve."
This thing borders on parody, but alas, unfortunately it is all too real.
I don't think you could subdue three or four counties in the US with the size of the force in Afganistan. Of course the British established a precendent for losing there a century ago. Our great commander in chief's war experience was a few months hiding in the Air National Guard in Alabama working on reublican campaigns. Sure I want to let him lead me into battle.
Of course you'd have to fight your friends, but that wouldn't be much of a stretch for a Gallowayite like yourself, would it.
Tee Hee.
C'mon, voice your crapola, bozos. After all, your heroes want a pullout in Iraq. Why not Afghanistan? Your friend Osama can come down from his cave and you can break bread with him.
That is, if he doesn't slit your pathetic necks.
Mark my words, central Europe is slowly going back to being a bunch corrupt commies.
When Bush heard that bin Laden was in Tora Bora, he sent massive numbers of troops to the South Pacific, thinking that's where Tora Bora was.
Precious time was lost getting them back to Afghanistan.
Those mean terrorists aren't giving "THE SURGE" a chance to work.
Bush must be so annoyed at them...
Monday, February 19, 2007
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
However, having been initially drawn into the Iraq war's "coalition of the willing" by the same scam the Bush administration worked on the American people, the Europeans fast tired of providing troops at U.S. behest. Their reasoning ran, if the United States can devote 140,000 troops to the Iraq war, which the Europeans do not support, why should the Europeans provide troops for Afghanistan only to free up U.S. forces for use in Iraq? At this very minute, as Mr. Bush calls on the Europeans to increase their forces in Afghanistan, he is increasing U.S. forces in Iraq by 21,500.
The president now believes that the water is rising on the Karzai government in Kabul. The United States has solicited the Europeans many times to increase their forces in Afghanistan, with little success. That sets them up in Mr. Bush's eyes to take the rap for the impending collapse in Afghanistan. It is not unlike his current effort to blame the mess in Iraq on Iran.
Re: "not an appropriate time for lame humor or sarcaism"
Suit yourself.
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See all 23 Comments