Commander: Media Reports On Afghanistan Outpost Battle Were Exaggerated

U.S. troops sweep for explosives near the Pakistan border

From Live Leak:

173rd’s fight not symbol of more violent Afghanistan, says Preysler

"The sky is not falling," Col. Charles "Chip" Preysler, commander of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, said Saturday from Jalalabad, Afghanistan.

Preysler spoke via telephone less than a week after his paratroops and their Afghan allies were involved in a fierce attack at a small post near the village of Wanat. In the July 13 battle, nine of his men were killed and 15 others wounded.

But the attack is not a sign of conditions worsening in the country, he said.

The battle occurred just after dawn at a temporary vehicle patrol base near Wanat. A platoon-sized element of Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne) soldiers and a smaller Afghan National Army force were occupying a hastily built area as they had done many times over the 15 months they’d been in country, Preysler said. The soldiers were there on a reconnaissance mission to establish a presence and find a good location to connect with the local government, populace and Afghan National Police, he said.

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My Comment: It still was a major attack. 9 U.S. soldiers were killed, and many more wounded. The lack of details on enemy KIA is also noteworthy. But as I have mentioned in previous posts .... if this happens two or more times in the next few months, the Taliban insurgency is definitely increasing.