U.S. Abandons Afghan Base, Taliban Move In

(AP)  U.S. and Afghan troops have abandoned a remote outpost in eastern Afghanistan where militants killed nine American soldiers this week, officials said Wednesday.

Compounding the military setback, insurgents quickly seized the village of Wanat in Nuristan province after driving out the handful of police left behind to defend government offices, Afghan officials said.

Some 50 officers were headed to the area to try to regain control, said Ghoolam Farouq, a senior provincial police official.

Sunday's attack by some 200 militants armed with machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars was the deadliest for the U.S. military in Afghanistan in three years. Rebels fought their way into the newly established base, wounding another 15 Americans and suffering heavy casualties of their own, before the defenders and warplanes could drive them back.

The assault underlined how Islamic militants appear to be gaining strength nearly eight years after the ouster of the Taliban, and the difficulties facing foreign and Afghan forces trying to defeat them.

NATO said the post, which lies amid precipitous mountains close to the Pakistan border, had been vacated, but insisted that international and Afghan troops will "retain a strong presence in that area with patrolling and other means."

"We are committed, now more than ever, to establishing a secure environment that will allow even greater opportunities for development and a stronger Afghan governmental influence," NATO spokesman Capt. Mike Finney said.

Omar Sami, spokesman for the Nuristan provincial governor, said American and Afghan soldiers quit the base on Tuesday afternoon. He said they took the district mayor with them.

Sami said U.S. troops armed local police with more than 20 guns before they left, but that the officers had fled the village and crossed into neighboring Kunar province when 100 militants moved into Wanat.

In other related developments:

The Canadian military said Wednesday the Taliban's self declared 'deputy governor of Kandahar' appeared to have been killed in an air strike by international forces. They said Mullah Mahmoud was second-in-command in the shadow government that the Taliban have created to lead Kandahar if they ever regain power. The military made the announcement at a press conference with the actual government of Kandahar on Wednesday. Mahmoud was thought to have controlled about 250 fighters.

A suicide bombing and a series of clashes Wednesday left at least 12 Taliban militants and one civilian dead. The Kandahar governor said eight militants were killed in the southern province's Khakrez district in the past two days

Police said the suicide bomber attacked one of their patrols in Lashkar Gah, the capital of neighboring Helmand province, killing a civilian and wounding six other people, including a policeman.

In eastern Paktika province, police said four militants planning attacks on supply trucks were killed in an air strike early Wednesday.

[alohaone1]

Bush this , Bush that ...blah blah blah ....without that man with his courage a year ago in the WhiteHOuse , who knows what kind of headlines regarding Iraq is on the Front Pages of Newspapers around the world today . Unflinching courage in face of disaster , Steady hands , America''s Old Gut and Toughness , Experience ... These are traits that are invaluable of a leader such as the President of The U.S. of A. and these are qualities that Obama does not have which was shown by his cut-and-run rhetorics before the Surge and thus , Obama has no business running for the hardest job in the World , the POTUS . Obama need to go back and spend more years in Congress before he screws up and gets everyone into trouble in this challenging time of war with the terrorist....

[alohaone1]

Mc Cain declared today Iraq''s Surge is NOW a success . NOT succeeding BUT SUCCEEDED ! Imagine what if would be like if a year ago , we did what Obama and the Dems wanted us to do . They need to be held accountable for their dumb and irresponsible rhetorics back then . Somebody better come out and raise HELL and hold them accountable . If Iraq''s Surge has not worked , they could come out and dance on the street and sing " I told you so " , But now that the Surge has done its part , got troop''s and civilian casualties down to the lowest in years , Now that American troop has withdrawn as promised by Gen. Patreaus , now that even the Iraqis are themselves confident about the gains , now that Even Al-Sadr factions were on the defensive , now that things have improved dramatically without a doubt , the Dems and BArrack need to have the courage to come out and admit their INEXPERIENCE IN THE FIELD OF MILITARY AND FORIEGN MATTERS , they need to be MAN Enough to give CREDIT where it dues and not busting around the bushes ....They have ALMOST got the Nation into a worst disaster since Vietnam and thus need to be held accountable for it ....Such Cowards!

[alohaone1]

Iraq was a hundred time more difficult problem and we still DID IT ( thanks to the MAN - Mr.George W. Bush! who got the gut to double down and came out ahead). Why is it harder? Because the insurgencies there were embedded in the population , were sectarian tensions exist for centuries , with all these supposedly Respected (but MAD) Ayatollas calling for different factions turning into human bombs against us and against each others , with Iran supplying weapons in the back and with an enemy that can simply melt into populated cities . So , compared to Afganishtan ,with the Taliban fighting from the outside in , Iraq with the enemy fighting inside of us is much more like Vietnam ,except that it is 10times worse when the nut-jobs actually believe they die going to heaven with the 72 virgin ...and yet , We the US Army still DID it right , We stabilize the place ,now no more Sunni insurgents , no more Shiite Al-Sdr crooks , no more Shiite Bard-brigade torture squads , US and civilians casualties down to the lowest level for years ...that is all because the US Armies with its best leadership is in charge ..So do not worry , as long as the Americans do not screw up and stab themselves in the back and play arm-chair generals like Vietnam , there is no way the Taliban can do jack! Also , more the reason to elect Mc Cain!

[kansas1946]

Afghanistan. Another Bush failure. About the only thing this guy can claim success with, is moving to the number one spot on "Worst Presidents of the US"

[libsluv2spit]

just a simply preview of what would happen when we abandon middle east...soon enough oil would be $15 a gallon because some islamic cleric nutjob DOES NOT WANT TO SELL US OIL..

[libsluv2spit]

Bomb it, take it, leave it, repeat.

Vietnam redux.


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Posted by Nancy_Naive at 05:44 AM : Jul 17, 2008
+ report abuse


************

complain that we are stealing it...go to gas station for a fill up then..complaining that we are not stealing enough...repeat

"the bi*tch loves her steak but simply refuse to accept how the cow was butchered"

[samsel3]

And the extermination continues.........

There are no benefits for Americans in Afghanistan. Your tax dollars and cumulative borrowed debt to finance these operations only benefit the corporations who purchased the oil& gas rights in the Caspian Sea Basin, nothing more nothing less.

July 15, 2008 Bush morning news conf: "Everything''s going well so far in the Caspian Basin. "


February 12, 1998 John J. Maresca vp of UNOCAL oil appeared before a House sub committee. The purpose of the meeting was to gain support for exploitation of oil & natural gas resources, for the rights purchased by BIG OIL in the Caspian Sea area.

In his testimony he stated, "The key question is how the energy resources of Central Asia can be made available to nearby Asian markets ".

The exploitation option stated : "One obvious route south would cross Iran, but this is foreclosed by American companies because of U.S. sanctions (with Iran ) . The only other possible route is across Afghanistan, which of course has it''s own unique challenges. " He continued saying, " the pipeline we have proposed across Afghanistan could not begin until a recognized government is in place that has the confidence of governments,lenders (world monitary fund & world bank ) ,and our company "......"

UNOCAL and other American companies are prepared to undertake the job ".

[vietnam21]

NATO, this is our opportunity, please send in PREDITOR at night and bom the base, with the Video on board they can''t lie.

[firststate]

rosieod4prez
Since 01/20/2001, nobody in the administration has bothered with preserving, protecting and defending the (according to W ********* old piece of paper) the Constitution. A legal case could be made for the converse. Even Ashcroft wouldn''t have signed off on some of the administration''s actions. Some Gonzales'' opinions are the only thing that might resemble a viable criminal defense for their actions. There''s nothing to indicate that McBush would feel differently about the Constitution, since he''s been an accomplice after the fact by supporting the administration''s end runs around it.

[liberalme]

So, now we have a potential president, obama, who would negotiate with the likes of Ahmandinajad with no preconditions; and, according to you, would n ot be able to ask for a declaration of war, because he has no military service.


Obama seems just a little half baked to me as far as having the ability to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States"

Posted by rosieod4prez at 07


DUHHHHH Neither has AWOL Bush or 5 Deferrment Cheney---but here we are, in 2 wars---by the way, are we still after Bin Laden? Isn''t that why these wars were started?

Where is that guy these days?