Taliban Attacks US Base, Killing 20

Killing 20 Taliban, that is.

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.

Thanks to Xoxotl. But look, this story is all well and good, but merely killing two dozen Taliban isn't going to help us win the war against Al Qaeda.

What?

Okay, yeah. Technically, it might "help" somewhat with the war against the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, but obviously it doesn't help us win the war gainst Al Qaeda in Iraq.

So let's not hype this too much or anything. We have no idea how many dogs our troops might have tortured during this engagement, for starters.

posted by Ace at 03:42 PM

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