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Noorullah Shirzada / AFP - Getty Images
Soldiers of the International Security Assistance Force and Afghan forces stand guard at the site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad on Sunday.
Updated at 4:35 a.m. ET: Nine suicide bombers struck an American airfield in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad early on Sunday, killing five people and wounding 18, a local official told NBC News.
Two civilians and three members of Afghanistan's special forces were killed in the attack, Hazart Hussain Sharqiwal, spokesman for the Jalalabad police chief, told NBC News. Fourteen Afghan soldiers and four civilians were wounded, he said.
One attacker detonated his car bomb to help other attackers get inside the base, Sharqiwal said. Afghan security officials killed the suicide attackers who had not detonated their devices, he added.
None of the insurgents breached the perimeter of the base, U.S. Army Maj. Martyn Crighton, a spokesman for NATO in Kabul, told NBC News. He said there were no reports of fatalities among members of the ISAF but some were wounded.
Local police officials earlier told Reuters that a dozen bodies in Afghan police and military uniforms were scattered around an entrance to the base. It was not clear whether the dead were Afghan security forces or militants dressed in uniforms, a tactic the Taliban sometimes deploy during attacks.
More news from South & Central Asia
The Taliban claimed responsibility in an email to reporters. It said a suicide attack occurred first and fighters then tried to enter the base. There was no way to independently verify the claims.
In February, a suicide car bomber killed nine people at the base at an airport, almost exclusively used by NATO and the U.S. military.
The United States and Afghan government are scrambling to improve security before most NATO combat troops withdraw at the end of 2014.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press, Reuters and NBC News' Akbar Shinwari and Atia Abawi.
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Leave a Comment:
I heard a bi-partisan bill to move up the exit out of Afganistan - passed the House last week.
When the heck are we out of there? WHy can't it be really soon???
We are trying to show some sort of accomplishment in the country before leaving. We want to leave the country in a state where they have the will and means to keep Al Qaida from operating there. Sadly, this is not likely to happen and perhaps even more sadly, it really doesn't accomplish anything even if Al Qaida cannot operate in Afghanistan anymore, they already operate in other countries. There will always be groups in some place in the world plotting against the USA, and the more American hating extremists we kill, the more we create. America needs to understand that being the schoolyard bully is not going to make everyone afraid to attack them, it will simply make them even more determined. America needs to come home and work at securing their own borders and defending their country with defense not offense.
No war should be waged without knowing what the ultimate goal is. Hitler invades Poland and France and threatens England. We align with Great Britain with the goal of defeating the German military and destroying the Nazi Party. Precise goals.
We invade Afghanistan in retaliation for an attack on the World Trade Center. And the goal is to what?
We were attacked by a group of fanatics whose beliefs are a serious threat to us and many other countries. Armies can defeat armies but cannot defeat beliefs. (See, for example, Roman armies versus Christianity.)
you made a great point there bruce, ur right' there muslims beliefs are never gunna change, they hate all people that are non muslim, thats how all the muslims are! and anyone on this post let me tell you there is...! are...! how ever you wanna say it, no! good muslims! there all bad!!!SH!T
When we realized a group of radical crazies declared war on us we decided it was better to fight them on their turf,than here in the US. We are now viewed as an occupation force and they naturally fight us because we are there.Unfortunately history shows a partial war cannot be won.If total war is not what we are prepared to fight we might as well come home.People seem to think that a nice gentlemanly war is possible where only a few soldiers get killed,and then it's over.That thinking is wrong the horrors of war are utterly devastating to civilian populations,and civilian populations are always involved. BUT-When a country opts to wage a "limited' war effort it is time to come home.
OC, your thinking fits perfectly with historic wars where territory and uniforms are involved. Our military is designed to challenge the other side. In recent years, however, the 'other side' isn't playing by the rules our military is designed to fight. That's why we couldn't 'win' in Viet Nam and we won't be able to defeat the Taliban or Al Quida. The Russians learned that lesson and so too did the British in the 19th Century. Maybe someday we will learn that belief systems cannot be defeated with superior military power. The British had vastly superior military strength over the 'Patriots' in America in 1776 and look what happened.
I thought this was gonna be the Talibans approach as the last of our troops exited Iraq, sending a few bands of suicide bombers over to Iraq as we loaded up the last of our Humvees. If ever the US troops are the most vulnerable it's during a withdrawl against an enemy army that we never officially defeated. Not until you have an all out surrender can you feel safe one of them won't take a shot at you while your back is turned..
The Taliban is not in Iraq.
Taliban is not an army, 'slow train', it is a belief system which is the point of my post at #30.
Another day, another suicide bomber. It's just what these fun loving Afghani and Iraqi citizens love to do in their spare time. I can't wait till the war is over so I can attend one of their suicide bomber conventions, with all the latest in explosive vests, IEDs, and car bombs. Just like the LA auto show. It should make for great post war tourism...
Our Commander in Chief has got his prayer rug out. He feels this will end all the turmoil. Ha, Ha.
now hold on ,are we sure these just wasnt a protest? why are we still in this hole?more blood on the Kenyan's hands'.just what he wants.
Suck it up, boy, I hope you're getting an ulcer! ;-)
destroy all muslims lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalal allah akbar, allah akbar, allah akbar, why do they use the name of god everytime they throw a rock, or a bomb, i guess thats there god... allah! its not ours so who cares,us christains beleave there is only one god, the muslims beleave allah is god, and beleave me ive talk to some muslims to see what there views were, and they really think that you have to say allah if your talking about the real god, there all f-in idiots,dam sh!t muslims
Between Patricia and loslo, we have now reaffirmed that Obama is a Kenyan Muslim. Brilliant. I worry more about people like you than I do about the Taliban or Al Quida because you two have the right to vote and unfortunately you probably do.
They really should change the frigging headline on the front page...
I was reading that thinking, "what country has FLOWN 9 bombers and struck a US airfield?!"
Only upon going to the article and finding the headline:
Nice editing job.
PS: They are NOT "suicide bombers" ... they are MURDERERS. Murder-bombers.
9 suicide bombers and only 5 people killed? Hmmm. Does add up or the bombers don,t count as people.
HEY, we need a special committee hearing on this, that way the GOP can try and get some politcal points with their low informed base. Just like they did with the Ambassador and the 3 mercs. It all happened in a war zone. Maybe the GOP committee people would go over there and see first hand for themselves.
They could hire some of the arm chair generals of the YELLOW ELEPHANTS to be their bodyguards. And with good luck, they could be sharing stories with the suicide bombers and Allah.
Maybe we could just send you over there, and you could bore them to death with your dribble.
We need to be out of
there. But as my grandfather would say, “Those
Chickens will come back to roost”
But the radical Islamists are
not done with us and rest of the West yet.
There are 2.1 Billion Muslims
in the world (according to Wikpedia) and people who are supposed to know say it
is just a small percentage of Muslims that take the insane parts of the Koran.
1% of 2.1 Billion Muslims is
20 + million fanatics that are willing to die for “teachings of the Koran” that
support the fervor they fill.
The countries and continents experiencing
this spreading growth of this radical Muslim view are among the most economically
poorest and under educated (mind you if even literate) population on our
planet. These are people that have been and seen the destruction of war for
years if not generations.
It is this population that is converting to
the Koran and the fanatical teachings of the mullah’s; a power position that
seeks to govern and rule people all the people under them. Those that won’t
convert are to “die by the sword as taught by the Profit.”
These mullahs dictate what
will be taught in schools along with those that can attend.
These mullahs want to limit
and control the speed of any type of economic growth or the development of a
middle class.
People living and surviving
on a day to day basis, and in some areas it is living and surviving on a minute
to minute existence.
These are people that our
taught that happiness is going to Paradise and
live with Allah; all you must do to get there is follow interpreted teachings
of the mullahs.
BUT, there is another way to get to Heaven.
They can get to Heaven and Paradise by shedding your own blood by dying in a Religious
Jihad that only mullahs can declare.
It is this is 20 +
million that “will come back to roost”
Say one thing, do another- that's been the last four years. For example: Afghanistan. We're told that our troops will be removed by summer '13 (after several other failed dates given prior) and now, guess what, we're there indefinitely. We're never going to get out of this mess because we are unable to change this part of the forsaken world to think & act like the west does. There will never be peace there and the longer we stay the worse it will get.
Wait, how can this be. Didn't Obama, Hillary, Panetta, Petraeus, say that we were winning the war?? Or is the enemy the People of Afghanistan and that is why we are losing?
I don't recall anyone in either the Bush or Obama Administrations ever declare that 'we are winning the war.' Maybe I missed something. Got a link to any quotes?
Bush went on T.V. and stated mission accomplished remember?
9 Suicide Bombers. Where are the drones, on the ground getting refueled? Just remember you kill one of ours and we kill 3 of yours. Just more fanatics we do not have to worry about. Close the base and bring home what is left of our troops and above all equipment. Let's not leave them anything they can use against us in the future. Just like when we left Vietnam, blow everything up, use all of our leftover ordinance and show them what the fourth of July in America looks like! Better yet put a phone detonator on the equipment and let them come and get it! We are no longer needed in Afghanistan.
And the beat goes on, and the beat goes on. Kill one of us and we kill three of you. That's not fighting a war; it's attrition. Conventional warfare always lose wars of attrition.
Do the math Bruce; at 3 to 1, who wins?
Only nine? When will these people understand the power of numbers?
The hell with the corrupt Republican OIL & FINANCIAL corporate MONARCHY'S foreign oil interests! Bring our soldiers home now!
We have our own Natural Gas at home and RIGHT NOW the corrupt Republican OIL & FINANCIAL corporate MONARCHY is sending it OVERSEAS in LNG (LIQUIFIED NATURAL GAS) to foreign countries!! We should have been off GASOLINE a LONG, LONG time ago! Right now, we should've been converting from NATURAL GAS to MAGNETICALLY-DRIVEN ELECTRICAL ENERGY which is 100% NON-POLLUTANT, 100% FOSSIL FUEL FREE, extremely cheap to manufacture, install & maintain for home & auto! There are 3 VIABLE patents by Howard Johnson in our U.S.Patent Office and they have been there a long, long time!
At the very most the Afghanistan campaign should have lasted no more than 18 months as a bombing special opts operation. This should have been the limit of any military involvement period.
prog, I still don't have a clue of exactly what the military objective was for sending tens of thousands of combat and support personnel into Afghanistan, do you? Maybe former President George Bush will write his memoirs someday and tel us. In the meantime, invading Afghanistan in retaliation for the World Trade Center attack will likely go down in world history as the stupidest use of military force known to mankind.
This generation will pass away and the wars will become part of history but I don't think we will ever have the answers about either war. I see George W. as not being someone who in cunnings but I wonder about certain advisors who put bugs in his ear and I think you have to consider his ago as well as the fact that the military never met a war it didn't like. Westmoreland in Vietnam stating yes I'm winning this just sent me another 1,000,000 soldiers and that is all I need is an example.
Obama has done so well. This can't be true he told us he has defeated all our enemies. How could anyone be left to bomb something. You... you... you don't mean Obama lied do you? What a cluster of F's this man has created.
Obama's greatest mistakes were continuing the failed Bush policies but you know what can you do with the war mongering right in this country. Remember Romney giving him hell for withdrawing the troops from Iraq?
9 of them only managed to kill 5? Talk about a fail jihad. I bet allah is disappointed in that operation. RIP to the fallen and a speedy recovery to the wounded.
Don't you feel that the 5 who died were killed for nothing?
"None of the insurgents breached the perimeter of the base, U.S. Army Maj. Martyn Crighton, a spokesman for NATO in Kabul, told NBC News. He said there were no reports of fatalities among members of the ISAF but some were wounded."
Be careful what you say there Major Crighton, if there is any kind of discrepancy, if 1 insurgent stepped inside the base perimeter by one foot or if there was even 1 casualty of the ISAF, the party of NO, you know, the Repugnant Republicans, will have investigations vamped up to high gear to question you and the Obama administration for weeks on your statements!
Last I heard, the Taliban was crippled and ineffectual - oh wait, that was just one more lie from one of Obama's lackeys.
Wait till that same scenerio plays out here at home, And it will at some point, just a matter of time, Bush jr opened a big ass can of worms
Bush jr wasn't in charge, there were people behind the scene jerking his chain.
Never negotiate with terrorist or a criminal, it is better ti kill them. They will not commit the same crime again, and will not be a burden to the government.
Maybe they will ALL strap a bomb on themselves, problem solved.
Afghanistan=most pointless war ever