This could have been much, much worse folks. Nine U.S. soldiers were injured in what is being described as a "complex" attack by about a dozen Taliban - at least 11 of the Taliban are dead and gone as a result of superb defense actions by American soldiers along the perimeter of the base. But man oh man, considering this was middle of the night and the Taliban attackers had suicide bombers and RPGs - well, it could have been horrific.
Read the whole report here from The Long War Journal.
Read the whole report here from The Long War Journal.
US troops repel complex Taliban assault on Bagram Airfield
US troops beat back a complex Taliban assault on the largest Coalition base in Afghanistan, killing an estimated 12 Taliban fighters.
The Taliban lunched the attack late at night and attempted to penetrate a gate at Bagram Airfield, which is north of Kabul. Heavily armed Taliban fighters, including four fighters wearing suicide vests, attempted to storm the gate but were repelled by US troops manning the security perimeter. "The attack included rockets, small arms and grenades," the International Security Assistance Force said in a press release.
ISAF estimated that "nearly a dozen" Taliban fighters were killed during the failed assault. "Four of the insurgents killed were intended suicide bombers," ISAF reported.
One US contractor was killed and nine soldiers were wounded during the Taliban attack. "Two of the nine wounded were returned to duty, all others are currently in stable condition," ISAF said.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban's top spokesman released a statement claiming that "more than 45 US-NATO soldiers killed and scores injured in the attack on Bagram airbase." He claimed that 20 Taliban fighters penetrated the base's perimeter. Mujahid released the statement on The Voice of Jihad, the Taliban's online propaganda arm.
The today's attack is the second major strike against the Coalition in central Afghanistan in two days. Yesterday, a Taliban suicide bomber killed a Canadian colonel, five US soldiers, and 12 Afghan civilians in an attack on a convoy in Kabul.
The Taliban attacks are designed to break the will of the Coalition and demonstrate that its forces can strike in the heart of Afghanistan. Bagram Airfield is the largest Coalition base, and hosts tens of thousands of Coalition troops. The base is also the main hub for Coalition operations.
Today's attack is the latest in a series of Taliban terror assaults in Afghanistan [see list below for the larger attacks]. Similar attacks have also taken place in Pakistan, Yemen, Iraq, and India.
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