Haqqani Network (Taliban) Fighters Try To Attack Khost Outpost, American Apaches Make Mince Meat of Them, 27 Dead Jihadis

This is awesome man. Just read these few paragraphs of the story at The Long War Journal and tell me you don't get goosebumps:

US soldiers beat back a massed attack by the Haqqani Network in the eastern Afghan province of Khost yesterday, killing 27 enemy fighters.

The Haqqani Network fighters gathered near Combat Outpost Spera and prepared to open fire on the base "with small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire," Combined Joint Task Force - 101 stated in a press release. But the Haqqani Network fighters were observed as they moved into position to attack.

"Both remotely piloted aircraft and strategically placed surveillance cameras identified the insurgent forces preparing to open fire with a mixture of small arms and rocket propelled grenades," CJTF-101 stated. Helicopters from an Attack Weapons Team from Task Force Viper, 1st Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, were dispatched and routed the Haqqani Network fighters.

ISAF stated that between 25 to 30 "insurgents" were killed, while CJTF-101 put the number at 27. No US or Afghan troops were reported to have been killed or wounded in the fighting.

I swear, I would pay a high price for the video of those Apaches coming over a nearby hilltop and swarming down into the valley where these clowns were getting their attack ready....it reminds me of that famous line....."I love the smell of napalm in the morning!"

Now, in the past, we have seen some of these type of attacks do some real damage to our FOB's in Afghanistan and in particular, the one in Patika was a massacre of our troops there - but our surveillance here obviously turned the tide - it's amazing that we were able to get our attack helicopters in position that quickly.

At the same time, this is the first I've heard of "surveillance cameras" being used in Afghanistan as an alarm system to our bases - imagine what that is going to do to the boldness of the Taliban in future attacks - let's face it, 95% of their strength in those situations, in those ambushes is in the element of surprise.

I imagine the word is going to spread around Talibanland about this massacre of their boys and the eyes in the sky and the eyes in the trees that gave them away.

US troops defeat Haqqani Network assault on base in Khost


US soldiers beat back a massed attack by the Haqqani Network in the eastern Afghan province of Khost yesterday, killing 27 enemy fighters.

The Haqqani Network fighters gathered near Combat Outpost Spera and prepared to open fire on the base "with small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire," Combined Joint Task Force - 101 stated in a press release. But the Haqqani Network fighters were observed as they moved into position to attack.

"Both remotely piloted aircraft and strategically placed surveillance cameras identified the insurgent forces preparing to open fire with a mixture of small arms and rocket propelled grenades," CJTF-101 stated. Helicopters from an Attack Weapons Team from Task Force Viper, 1st Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, were dispatched and routed the Haqqani Network fighters.

ISAF stated that between 25 to 30 "insurgents" were killed, while CJTF-101 put the number at 27. No US or Afghan troops were reported to have been killed or wounded in the fighting.

The Haqqani Network has carried out four major attacks against heavily defended US outposts in eastern Afghanistan since the end of August.

On Aug. 28, Haqqani Network fighters launched coordinated attacks against Forward Operating Bases Salerno and Chapman in Khost province. US and Afghan troops routed the Haqqani Network fighters, killing more than 35, including a commander, during and after the attacks. Several of the fighters were wearing US Army uniforms, and 13 were armed with suicide vests. US forces killed and captured several commanders and fighters during raids in the aftermath of the attacks.

And on Sept. 2, the Haqqani Network attempted to storm Combat Outpost Margah in the Bermel district of Paktika province. US troops repelled the attack with mortar and small-arms fire, then called in helicopter gunships to finish off the attackers; 20 were reported killed.

The Taliban and the Haqqani Network have launched attacks at several major installations across the country this year. In May, a small team attempted to breach security at Kandahar Airfield after launching a rocket attack on the base; another small team conducted a suicide assault at the main gate at Bagram Airbase in Parwan province. In June, the Taliban launched an assault against Jalalabad Airfield in Nangarhar province. The Taliban carried out a suicide assault against the Afghan National Civil Order Police headquarters in Kandahar City in July; three US soldiers were killed in the attack, which included a suicide car bomber and a follow-on assault team. And in early August, the Taliban again conducted a complex attack at Kandahar Airfield. All of the attacks were successfully repelled by Coalition and Afghan forces.

Haqqani Network a main target of Coalition and Afghan forces

Over the past few months, Coalition and Afghan forces have been conducting multiple special operations raids on a near-daily basis targeting the Haqqani Network and al Qaeda operatives and camps in Khost, Paktia, and Paktika. Within the past 24 hours, ISAF and Afghan forces have captured a Haqqani commander, several IED facilitators, and three fighters, as well as a Taliban cell commander, during raids in Khost.

Afghan and Coalition forces have attempted to interdict Haqqani Network bases in the region by launching large-scale operations in enemy strongholds.

In mid-June, Afghan and Coalition forces killed "a large number" of Haqqani Network and foreign fighters during a major clash in the Jani Khel district in Paktia, and another 38 as they crossed the provincial border into Musa Khel in Khost. "Arabs, Uzbeks, Turks, and Chechens" were among those reported killed in the fight in Jani Khel in Paktia.

On Aug. 12, Afghan and Coalition forces killed more than 20 Haqqani Network fighters and detained several more during a raid in the district of Zadran in Paktia. ISAF described the district of Zadran as a "known Haqqani Network safe haven" which is "used to stage attacks into Kabul and the Khost-Gardez pass."

Al Qaeda maintains a strong presence in eastern Afghanistan, according to an investigation by The Long War Journal. In Khost, the presence of al Qaeda and allied groups' cells has been detected in the districts of Besmil, Khost, Mandozai, Nader Shahkot, Sabari, Shamul, Spera, and Terayzai; or eight of Khost's 12 districts.

Al Qaeda operates in conjunction with the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and the Hizb-i-Islami Gulbuddin network throughout Afghanistan. Frequently, al Qaeda operatives serve as embedded military trainers for Taliban field units and impart tactics and bomb-making skills to these forces. In addition, al Qaeda often supports the Taliban by funding operations and providing weapons and other aid, according to classified military memos released by Wikileaks.