Happy Ending
More like this. Taliban stages brazen attack on U.S. base:
GHAZNI, Afghanistan (AP) — A group of 75 Taliban militants tried to overrun a U.S.-led coalition base in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, a rare frontal attack that left more than 20 militants dead, the coalition said in a statement.
The insurgents attacked Firebase Anaconda from three sides, using gunfire, grenades and 107 mm rockets, the coalition said. A joint Afghan-U.S. force repelled the attack with mortars, machine guns and air support.
“Almost two dozen insurgents were confirmed killed in the attack,” the statement said. Two girls and two Afghan soldiers were wounded during the fight in Uruzgan province, it said.
A firebase like Anaconda is usually a remote outpost staffed by as few as several dozen soldiers.
“The inability of the insurgent forces to inflict any severe damage on Firebase Anaconda, while being simultaneously decimated in the process, should be a clear indication of the ineffectiveness of their fighters,” said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a coalition spokeswoman.
No kidding. I’m guessing some Taliban commander is getting a talking-to: “Next time blow up some schoolchildren, you dolt. Find some infidel missionaries!” Speaking of which:
South Korean officials and Taliban leaders were expected to agree Tuesday on a meeting place to negotiate the release of 21 South Korean hostages, an Afghan politician said.
… relatives of the hostages expressed disappointment Tuesday that meetings Sunday and Monday at Camp David between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and President Bush failed to produce concrete measures to bring the captives home.
The Afghan and U.S. presidents ruled out making any concessions to the Taliban militants during their meetings.
…
The militants kidnapped 23 Korean aid workers traveling by bus from Kabul to Kandahar on July 19. Two male hostages have been killed.
Who are these “militants” of whom they speak? These do not sound like acts of warfare, though I suppose the case could be made that they are a from of aggressive activism.
Meanwhile, more good news from Waziristan, where other ”militants” had a bad day. Reuters:
MIRANSHAH, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani security forces, backed by helicopter gunships, attacked two militant hideouts near the border with Afghanistan on Tuesday, killing at least 10 militants, the military said.
The pre-dawn offensive in Degan area, some 25 km (17 miles) west of North Waziristan’s main town of Miranshah, destroyed the fortress-like compounds used by pro-Taliban militants, Major General Waheed Arshad told Reuters.
“Local sources have told us that at least 10 local militants have been killed and seven have been wounded,” Arshad said.
An intelligence official in Miranshah said they had reports that 27 militants had been killed.
Topics: Afghanistan, Pakistan
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:00 pm on Tuesday, August 7, 2007
3 Responses to “Happy Ending”
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August 8th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Look at it from the Talibs’ point of view, Jules: Sure they lost twenty-odd buddies, but they also managed to wound two girls. And you just know those uppity chicks were doing all kinds of evil stuff like learning to read, what with hanging around the infidel and all. They probably see it as an even tradeoff.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
I’m guessing some Taliban commander is getting a talking-to
I’m guessing with a machete or a scimitar. You know, there are times when you just gotta behead somebody!
August 8th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
I’ll try this again.
Good.