KABUL, July 4, 2009
2 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Blast
4 Injured by Truck Bomb and Firefight Outside American Base; Captured Marine Still Missing
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U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines cross a bridge in the Nawa district in Afghanistan's Helmand province Saturday, July 4, 2009. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
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Play CBS Video Video U.S. Launches New Offensive Against Taliban The United States has stepped up its efforts against the Taliban in Afghanistan ahead of the country's presidential elections in August. CBS News Consultant Jere van Dyk discusses the latest news in Afghanistan.
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Fast Facts Afghanistan Learn about the people, economy and history.
Taliban militants attacked a U.S. coalition base in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday with an explosives-laden truck that blew up outside the gates, sparking a two-hour gun battle and killing two American troops, officials said.
U.S. forces called in air strikes to end the clash, killing more than 30 insurgents in Zerok district of Paktika province, said Hamidullah Zawak, the provincial governor spokesman. Seven U.S. and two Afghan troops were wounded, a U.S. military spokesman said.
The multi-pronged attack near the Pakistan border is hundreds of miles from the massive Marine assault in southern Afghanistan and underscores the militants' ability to inflict casualties on the over-stretched U.S. forces as they widen their battle against the Taliban, who have made a violent comeback following their initial defeat in the American-led 2001 invasion.
Responding to the deteriorating security situation, President Barack Obama's administration has ordered 21,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and expects the total number of U.S. forces there to reach 68,000 by year's end. That is double the number of troops in Afghanistan in 2008 but still half as many as are now in Iraq.
As part of the new strategy, 4,000 Marines poured into volatile Helmand province on Thursday in the biggest U.S. military operation in Afghanistan since 2001, trying to cut insurgent supply lines and win over local elders.
Also in the south, a roadside bomb Saturday killed seven policemen in Kandahar province, the Interior Ministry statement said. Another two Afghan soldiers died in a separate blast in Helmand province's Musa Qala district also Saturday, the Defense Ministry said.
The attack in the east started when insurgents drove an explosives-laden truck filled with gravel toward the gates of the American base, Zawak said. After the truck driver did not heed warnings to stop, the troops opened fire on the truck, which exploded, he said.
For two hours, insurgents then fired at the base from several locations before U.S.-called air strikes ended the fight, he said.
Two U.S. troops were killed and seven were wounded in the assault, said Tech. Sgt. Chuck Marsh, a U.S. military spokesman. Two Afghan soldiers were also wounded, he said. The base housed both U.S. and Afghan soldiers, he said.
Zabiullah Mujaheed, a Taliban spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack. After the blast, some 100 Taliban fighters fired at the coalition troops for several hours, briefly taking over two of their checkpoints, Mujaheed said.
Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker, a U.S. military spokeswoman, said none of their reporting suggested that Taliban took over any checkpoint.
Zawak said 32 insurgents were killed in the air strikes, and that authorities have already recovered 16 bodies. Mujaheed said five insurgents were killed and three were wounded.
It is impossible to independently verify Zawak's and Mujaheed's claims because the base is in a remote area.
Saturday's attack happened in the same province where an American soldier and three Afghans were believed captured by insurgents Tuesday.
U.S. troops continued looking for the soldier, Navy Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo said Friday. The military has not publicly identified him.
No immediate claim of responsibility was made by any insurgent group for the missing soldier or Saturday's attack.
Taliban factions led by Sirajuddin Haqqani operate in the area where the attack took place. The U.S. has accused Haqqani of masterminding beheadings and suicide bombings, including the July 2008 attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul that killed 60 people.
By Associated Press Writer Fisnik Abrashi
© MMIX The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Michelle Obama tells how her role as the First Lady has changed her perspective.
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See all 26 CommentsObama spends the same $700B/yr but the troops aren't doing squat. One thing Obama IS good at is killing civilians with drone attacks. Obama is putting more American lives on the line for every enemy killed.
will be addled dem moderates and
phantom press copy writers.
America moved so far right that some of us
fell off the dem far left,,,
were now considered extremist,,, "somethings".
"Pathetic,,,look at 'em,,,they dont LIKE war!
What party do they belong to!??"
The militants stayed around for "several" hours and "sparked"
gun fire that that killed two US troops and wounding
others,,,What were they waiting for??,,,
GENERAL!!,,,THE SECOND AMERICAN HAS JUST BEEN KILLED!!
Excellent, Captain!!,,,That's our que,,SEND IN THE AIRSTRIKES!!"
What is the plan to do so?
see the new boss same as the old boss!
They are right!!! The invaders and illegal occupiers sometimes known as infidels are living up to their names-killing and maiming them.
May God ease the hellfire on these departed self-claimed pseudo "angels of peace."
who will be with their wives now? more women left without husbands.
Look at the headlines.... Palin who????
McCain can't even remember his name
It sure as hell isn't from history books or ACTUAL news articles.
Just a couple of examples from the 6 posts on this page:
"Obama was elected because he promised to bring our troops home." (When did Obama say that?"
underdogus09's whole post (as usual)
"The hijackers were all Saudis, not "Talibans/Insurgents", not even Afghan." (They were ALL Saudi's? What about the hijackers from Egypt, Lebanon, and the UAE? Were you UNAWARE of them?)
"The hijackers were financed by Saudi Royals and Sheikhs, not Packtouns/Afghans." (Funny, everyone else believes they were financed by bin Laden.)
You say you are there because "your enemy is planning" attacks against you. Therefore, you decided to be proactive and on top of it.
However,
a) The hijackers were all Saudis, not "Talibans/Insurgents", not even Afghan
b) The hijackers were financed by Saudi Royals and Sheikhs, not Packtouns/Afghans
c) The hijackers lived in Germany and were recruited in Germany, not Afghan/Pakistan
d) The hijackers were plotted, and trained (flight) in the US, not Afghans/Pakistan
You should not be bombing people of the mudhouses, killing and maiming indigenous people there. People with improvised guns and on donkeys, and half a world away, and they can not swim with F16 on their back....
From your logic of "security", shouldn't you be bombing North Korea, Germany, and US?
SHOCK AND AWE OBAMA STYLE The US is increasingly resorting to air strikes, resulting in countless civilian deaths. The tried and true colonial tactic of terrorizing a population into submission is now the technique employed in Afghanistan ? shock and awe Vietnam style.
It's now crystal clear that zero "change" will be forthcoming when it comes to U.S. foreign policy, minus a strategic shifting of troops.
This fact was highlighted recently when Obama asked for an additional $83.4 billion in "emergency spending" to fight the Iraq/Afghan/Pakistan wars....
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See all 26 Comments