Blast Kills 2 NATO Troops In Afghanistan

Nationality Of Victims Not Released; Attack In East, Where Most Troops Are American

(CBS/AP)  A roadside blast struck a NATO military convoy in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing two soldiers and wounding three others, the alliance said.

NATO did not identify the nationality of the killed and wounded soldiers or the exact location of the blast. Most of the troops in the country's east are American.

Pan-Arab satellite broadcaster al-Jazeera, meanwhile, broadcast "exclusive" video Wednesday of an apparent Taliban attack on a NATO convoy.

According to the report, the Taliban claimed the attack took place in the eastern province of Wardak, but no date was mentioned. The video, shot from atop a snowy mountain, shows a convoy of military vehicles, some of which appeared to be Humvees, driving along a mountain road when a large explosion goes off at the side of the road.

The Taliban claimed to have killed three NATO troops in the attack.

CBS News cannot confirm the authenticity of the Taliban video, or whether the attack shown in tape was related to the deaths reported by NATO command Wednesday afternoon.

Earlier, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said ex-Taliban fighters in Afghanistan can win a role in the country's future if they renounce violence.

Brown told lawmakers Wednesday that Britain would support efforts by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to bring former insurgents into mainstream politics.

"If they are prepared to renounce violence and abide by the constitution and respect basic human rights then there is a place for them in the legitimate society and economy of Afghanistan," Brown told lawmakers at the House of Commons.

He said Britain would not hold direct talks with ex-Taliban fighters, but support the attempts by Karzai's officials to widen Afghanistan's political sphere.

Britain is backing Afghan efforts to identify members of the Taliban - particularly midlevel commanders - who are prepared to participate in mainstream politics, a senior government official told reporters. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.

"It is not a question of negotiating with the Taliban, it's a question of splitting the Taliban," the official said.

Officials said Afghan led-reconciliation efforts are focused on middle- and lower-ranking Taliban fighters.

"Already some 5,000 fighters have laid down their arms," said Brown, seen at left. British officials said 70 high- or middle-ranking Taliban leaders have been killed this year.

Meanwhile, more than 50 Taliban fighters who fled a key southern Afghan town were killed during a two-day battle as the militants tried to attack a nearby government center, Afghanistan's Defense Ministry said Wednesday.

The battle - fought by Afghan soldiers aided by NATO airstrikes - took place in Sangin, Helmand province. Sangin neighbors Musa Qala, which Taliban fighters had controlled since February but abandoned this week in the face of an offensive by Afghan, British and U.S. forces.

"When the terrorists were defeated in Musa Qala, they escaped to Sangin and started firing in and around Sangin," the Defense Ministry said.

Among the 50 militants killed were three foreigners and three commanders, the ministry said. It said no civilians were hurt or killed in the operation.

There was no way to independently verify the death toll on the remote battle site, and NATO's International Security Assistance Force does not release casualty figures for militants.

In other violence, a suicide attacker blew himself up near an Afghan army convoy in the southern city of Kandahar, killing one person, said the provincial police chief, Sayed Agha Saqib (aftermath seen at left). Two soldiers and four civilians were wounded, he said.

This year has been the deadliest since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. More than 6,200 people have been killed in insurgency-related violence, according to an Associated Press tally of figures from Western and Afghan officials.

Brown also said Wednesday that Britain will keep a force of around 7,800 troops in Afghanistan for the long term, without specifying a limit on how long soldiers could remain.

Some British military chiefs have suggested troops will be required for decades.

Brown's office said he would not set a timetable for changing troop numbers, saying Britain will stay in Afghanistan until it achieves security.

But Brown told lawmakers a rising number of newly trained Afghan soldiers - expected to reach 70,000 next year - and EU and NATO allies must do more to share the burden of winning peace.

He said new commitments from Denmark, France, Germany and others were welcome. "This progress must, I believe, now be matched by contributions from other counties in NATO, the EU and beyond," Brown said.

Officials say the Afghan National Army will not operate autonomously until 2012 and is expected to require international support for some time afterward.

Brown said a United Nations envoy tasked with coordinating aid and reconstruction will likely be appointed by February.

Britain has pressed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to appoint an individual with international clout and access to leaders in European capitals and the region, including Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, the official said.

[geminieyez-2009]

While you all argue about politics, I sit and check the DoD website to see if they have released the names of the 2 soldiers that were killed. My little brother is in eastern Afghanistan. We haven''t heard from him since the night of the 11th. We usually receive at least an IM from him everyday. He had a dream a few days ago that his Humvee was hit and he was seriously injured. It doesn''t help much knowing that. He''s probably okay, but until they release those names my Mom waits for a knock on the door and I stay up all night on the internet trying to find any information that I can that will reassure me that there''s no possible way it could have been him. I''ll stay up all night waiting for him to IM me. But all you guys can do is talk about how they can''t read a map.

[on_alert247]

The neocon argument Churchill always at the top.

Hate to break the news to you neocon but after the war the British did not reelect Churchill they realized and knew that he would make a worthless peacetime leader.

Now you know the rest of the story. God you neocons are dense.

Posted by antoniof123 at 02:41 PM : Dec 12, 2007
--------------
Winston Churchill was elected again to serve as PM from 1951 to 1955 when he retired due to ill health. God you libs are ignorant.

[Con Mohrat]

terrorislam7,

When you want to display long a long url, you can go to the website TINYURL.COM, copy the long url in the slot, hit Enter, and you get a smal url to use.
For example, http://tinyurl.com/33vra3 is now the same as
http://islamqa.com/index.php?ref=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20ara
bia%20pagan

[samsel3]

Nothing has changed on Iran. The administrations interest in Iran & nukes is a smoke screen for their real agenda. Their true interests are Cheney''s energy policy.Condi Rice is a former board member of Chevron Oil and mouthpiece for the administrations energy policy. Part of that policy is the The Caspian Sea pipeline which will go through Turkmenistan, Afghanistan,Pakistan, to the gulf of Oman or on to India & Nepal.It will be cheaper to construct if they can go through Iran, but regime change is necessary first. The Caspian sea area holds one third of the world''s oil and south asian oil markets are their target market. This pipeline was also the reason for the Afghanistan invasion. Cheney''s energy policy is the root of all these middle east wars, a federal court judge sealed all documents associated with it for the administration, and the national media are not allowed to discuss or comment on it. More troops are needed in Afghanistan to protect the contractors building the pipeline. Iran stands in the way of total control of global oil now with sales of oil to China''s Sinopec Oil,deal signed Dec.10,2007. Months ago China said there would be dire consequences if the US interfered with there direct oil contracts with Iran. Both parties in the Congress should be very concerned with China''s growing war machine and need for oil. They are the real threat & the administration doesn''t care they are in control!!! All that matters to them is BIG OIL and their corporate stock portfolio

[Con Mohrat]

Perhaps those NATO troops should read a map. Afghanistan is nowhere near the North Atlantic.

But if those NATO troops love a quagmire, they can station more of themselves in Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon, and then contiue into Sudan (Darfur), Somalia, Burma, etc. etc.
In the end, they are only interested in being with their families. But the Afghans? They just want to remain right there--with their own families, and no outside interference, to avoid the genocide of Iraq.

[feelfree1]

Things seem to be progressing on the Afghan front of the fascistic War of Failure.

[antoniof123]

The neocon argument Churchill always at the top.

Hate to break the news to you neocon but after the war the British did not reelect Churchill they realized and knew that he would make a worthless peacetime leader.

Now you know the rest of the story. God you neocons are dense.

[bizzzz-2009]

In five years since 9 11, I have NOT seen ONE organized demonstration by Muslim Americans condemning radical Islam or even terrorists, NOT ONE. Surely Muslims know how to demonstrate. You see them gather by the thousands and thousands for the return of Bhutto in Pakistan. You see them gather by the thousands in Gaza to protest Israeli oppression, and you see them gather by the thousands at parades for Hezzbollah in Tehran.
But in a free society like the US, where demonstrations are both lawful and encouraged, NOT ONE Muslim demonstration condemning terrorists. Instead organizations like CAIR STATE THEY DENOUNCE TERRORIST ACTS AND RADICAL ISLAM BY DONATING MONEY TO THIS OR THAT ORGANIZATION.
THE SAD THING IS, THEIR MONEY SILENCES US. THE DAY AMERICANS STOP TAKING MONEY FROM MUSLIMS, THE DAY WE AMERICANS TELL MUSLIMS " YOUR MONEY ISN''T GOOD HERE, WE WANT ACTION" WILL BE THE DAY I START BELIVING THAT NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE JIHADISTS WANTING TO TURN AMERICA INTO A ISLAMIC STATE.

[ezol-2009]

As with Iraq the allies have given up dreams of western style democracy and any real freedoms. They''re just looking for a way out in the medium term whilst leaving the countries in some sort of order.

The simple fact is the rights we take (or if the multi-culturalist''s have their way: took) for granted, like freedom from religion, women rights, democracy, freedom about *** etc are incompatible with most versions of Islam or any fundamentalist religion view point. If a significant % of any society has a 100% belief in the truth of their religion like Christianity or Islam then it is impossible to have freedom there.

If free will, justice and democracy aren''t top of most peoples cultural identity, then they will not exist there.

[underdogus]

"If they are prepared to renounce violence and abide by the constitution and respect basic human rights PM BROWN you''re a coward!!! WINSTON CHURCHILL tried to warn the forces of appeasement, He said that an appeaser is someone who feeds a crocodile in the futile hope it will eat him last. IN 1938 Czechoslovakia''s was turned into croccodile food for Germany. The NAZI beast smelled the WEAKNESS in the INTERNATIONAL appeasers and devoured most of EUROPE..