Sunday, June 17, 2012

Attack At U.S. FOB In Afghanistan Was Far Worse Than Originally Reported

Attack On U.S. Outpost in Afghanistan Worse Than Originally Reported -- Washington Post

KABUL — A June 1 attack on a U.S. outpost near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border was much worse than originally disclosed by the military as insurgents pounded the base with a truck bomb, killing two Americans and seriously wounding about three dozen troops, officials acknowledged Saturday.

The blast flattened the dining hall and post exchange at Forward Operating Base Salerno in Khost province, a frequent target of insurgents in the past. Five Afghan civilians were killed and more than 100 other U.S. troops were treated for minor injuries. U.S. officials estimated that the truck was carrying 1,500 pounds of explosives.

U.S. and Afghan military officials said they killed 14 insurgents, many of whom were wearing suicide vests.

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My Comment: This was a major attack. A 1500 lb truck bomb was used in the beginning .... seriously damaging homes 2 miles away. 2 Americans killed. 3 dozen seriously wounded. 100 slightly wounded. 14 insurgents shot dead. Scores of Afghans killed and wounded. To put it bluntly, this was a well organized and coordinated attack .... and an indication on the strength of Pakistan's Haqqani network to spread mayhem and murder in Afghanistan.

I can now understand why US Defense Secretary Panetta was upset with Pakistan right after this attack .... even clearly and publicly mentioning that the U.S. was becoming impatient with Pakistan .... and Panetta is right. Attacks like this do not only reveal a complete failure on the part of Pakistan to rein in the Haqqani network, but more worrisome a complete lack of interest to enforce any rule of law or authority in the border regions.

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