Two Major Al Qaeda Bases In Afghanistan Were Unknown To The U.S. For Months

CNN: Major al Qaeda camp was unknown to U.S. for months

An al Qaeda training camp in southern Afghanistan that was the target of a major raid last week had been operating since last November -- and the U.S. didn't learn the full details about the site until July, coalition forces said in an email Wednesday.

Earlier this month, U.S. airstrikes, along with U.S. and Afghan ground troops, conducted the assault operations in an area known as Shorabak, close to the Pakistan border. Al Qaeda had set up two sites, a one-mile-square training camp and a second site of nearly 30 square miles it controlled.

The coalition conducted 63 airstrikes on the site, and a ground assault team of more than 200 Afghan and U.S. troops on the ground attacked both targets. It is estimated by the U.S. that more than 160 suspected terrorists were killed from a number of groups. U.S. officials have said they believe a number of al Qaeda and related terrorist group members have been pushed into Afghanistan due to pressure from Pakistani military operations on the other side of the border.

WNU Editor: Two major bases .... one that covers 30 square miles .... that is not a small Al Qaeda presence. This is what happens when you withdraw your troops and you end up with not enough boots on the ground.