2 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Blast

4 Injured by Truck Bomb and Firefight Outside American Base; Captured Marine Still Missing

(AP)  Last updated 7:43 a.m. ET.

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.

[sean58z]

Helmand grows the finest poppies and cannabis. The Marines should respect the farms. The Felons in the province prefer exotic narcotics like methamphetamine, PCP, and LSD. Kabul must apprehend the leaders of this criminal mob. Why not place bounties on their heads for information that results in imprisonment?

[jwesel1]

Headline should be "Taliban government arrested a forgeiner US insurgent"

[didserve]

Freeze Saudi assets in the U.S. and they will give you bin laden! get out of this rock pile! If they had not been slant drilling into Sadam Hussens oil fields there would never had been gulf war one!

[tautomer]

Obama is being very cagey about articulating a "GOAL" and and "EXIT STRATEGY" in AfPakistan. Hmmmm.............? That sounds familiar!!!

[tautomer]

With the prior administration, as bad as it was the ratio of US casualties inflicted to US casualties endured was well above 50:1. With Obama it's been more like 1:1.

Obama 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.

[jwesel1]

The invasion was as unjustified undeer Bush as it is under Obama. The injustice ratio is 1:1. You failed to mention this fact.

[ajjaxtheleast]

The only "supporters" Obama will end up with
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!!"

[imthez71man]

If your so smart maybe you should go stand next to the Soldiers and Marines and show them how to do it. I'll bet you have been in fire fights before right. You don't get to put battles on easy or beginner mode in real life, Fire fights can last for days.

[didserve]

How is this getting Bin Laden?

What is the plan to do so?

see the new boss same as the old boss!

[hermitdave]

How many more Bush crusaders are going to die before the American people wake up to the fact that the Cheney Bush hunt down ONE former CIA operative excuse was another big lie. 9/11/01 WAS A INSIDE JOB

[wyodutch]

Well... When you occupy someone else's country, you're going to take casualties. We taught that to the British twice and the Afghan people are now forcing us to re-learn the lesson.

[jwesel1]

well said.

[mysteriousjz]

My prayers are with those poor indigenous people-for every one casualty of the "angel of peace," at least a hundred pay with their lives and/or body parts etc. that never make any news.

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."

[IshineLikeYou]

Too bad that they died.

who will be with their wives now? more women left without husbands.

[edward1975-2009]

Obama is doing exactly what he said he would do. You weren't listening. He said he would chase the Taliban to the gates of hell and the words flew right over all that voted for him. And now you're surprised. Why. You got what you wanted, now live with it. You chose a great speaker, who had no experience, and coupled him with an idiot like Pelosi and expected something good to happen. You have to be kidding, if you did, you're dumber than I thought.

[ToolMangler1]

And our other choice was 'what'?????
Look at the headlines.... Palin who????
McCain can't even remember his name

[robinspp]

Obama spoke against war, but then he continues the same policy of the republicans. Does it make any different from others? No, it is the same old policy and same old administration. Change has come. No, it does not.

[hungry1968-16]

Are you unable to pay attention to EVERYTHING, or do you only pay attention to what the Fox News talking heads and "news models" tell you to believe?

[hungry1968-16]

I wonder where you conservatives get your versions of history from.

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.)

[underdogus09]

you been bamboozled again,Obama style,he he

[JoeRess1]

I would like to thank our troops!!! Thanks for keeping us free!! You guys gals are great !!!! Happy 4th to you all :)

[robinspp]

When we are meddling, with other countries this will happen. Unfortunately the lesson we learned from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan did not change the mind set of our leaders.

[mysteriousjz]

Dear Mr. President!

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?

[didserve]

well said!

[ToolMangler1]

You are truly 'clueless'

[underdogus09]

"Captured Marine Still Missing" "2 U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Blast"
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....