SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Taliban Attacks Afghan Air Base
At least seven Taliban fighters have been killed
and nine Nato troops wounded in an assault on Bagram air base in
Afghanistan, Nato says.
Nato's International Security Assistance
Force, or Isaf, said on Wednesday: "Seven insugents have been killed...
during the attack on Bagram that included rockets, small arms and
grenades."
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the
attack, saying 20 suicide bombers took part in the assault, which began
overnight.
May 19, 2010
At least seven Taliban fighters have been killed
and nine Nato troops wounded in an assault on Bagram air base in
Afghanistan, Nato says.
Nato's International Security Assistance
Force, or Isaf, said on Wednesday: "Seven insugents have been killed...
during the attack on Bagram that included rockets, small arms and
grenades."
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the
attack, saying 20 suicide bombers took part in the assault, which began
overnight.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the group's spokesman, told the
AFP news agency: "Four suicide bombers activated their explosive belts
and fighting is continuing at the base."
'Brazen' attack
Bagram,
which is near Kabul, the capital, is one of the biggest military bases
in Afghanistan and mainly holds US troops as well as a detention centre
where al-Qaeda-linked fighters and "terror" suspects are held.
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Bagram, described the
attack as "quite brazen and daring".
She said the attack started
"about 3am when US guards at Bagram spotted a car and started shooting
at it".
"That's
when this long gun battle that lasted for about eight hours happened,"
said our correspondent.
"It was very intense [the battle] between 3am and until about
daylight ...
"[A] Taliban spokesman said that the attackers detonated themselves
in front of the main gate and managed to enter the airfield.
"But that is something Nato completely refutes. They do say that
rocket and mortars have landed inside the base. Nine soldiers have been
wounded [and] none, according to Nato, is in critical condition."
Major Virginia McCabe, a press officer at Bagram, said: "We know
there are claims of suicide bombers but we are not aware of it at this
time."
Helicopter gunships hovered about the base as the attack
continued.
"We're always prepared to deal with attacks on our base, the response
this morning was immediate," said Lieutenant-Colonel Clarence Counts, a
spokesman for the Bagram base.
Spring offensive
Wednesday's attack follows the Taliban's announcement that they
would launch a spring offensiveagainst the Afghan government and
foreign forces in Afghanistan in response to Nato's plans for a military
campaign on the group's southern stronghold of Kandahar.
On
Tuesday, a suicide car bomber attacked a Nato-led military convoy
during rush hour in Kabul,killing at least 18 people and six foreign
troops. Five of the troops were Americans and one was Canadian.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for Tuesday's blast, one of the
deadliest attacks in Kabul in months.
So far this year, 202 Nato soldiers have died, marking January to
mid-May period in the Afghan war the deadliest. At least 520
Nato troops died in 2009, the deadliest year so far for US-led foreign
troops since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban regime.
Since summer 2009, one or two Nato soldiers have died on
average each day.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
At least seven Taliban fighters have been killed
and nine Nato troops wounded in an assault on Bagram air base in
Afghanistan, Nato says.
Nato's International Security Assistance
Force, or Isaf, said on Wednesday: "Seven insugents have been killed...
during the attack on Bagram that included rockets, small arms and
grenades."
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the
attack, saying 20 suicide bombers took part in the assault, which began
overnight.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the group's spokesman, told the
AFP news agency: "Four suicide bombers activated their explosive belts
and fighting is continuing at the base."
'Brazen' attack
Bagram,
which is near Kabul, the capital, is one of the biggest military bases
in Afghanistan and mainly holds US troops as well as a detention centre
where al-Qaeda-linked fighters and "terror" suspects are held.
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Bagram, described the
attack as "quite brazen and daring".
She said the attack started
"about 3am when US guards at Bagram spotted a car and started shooting
at it".
"That's
when this long gun battle that lasted for about eight hours happened,"
said our correspondent.
"It was very intense [the battle] between 3am and until about
daylight ...
"[A] Taliban spokesman said that the attackers detonated themselves
in front of the main gate and managed to enter the airfield.
"But that is something Nato completely refutes. They do say that
rocket and mortars have landed inside the base. Nine soldiers have been
wounded [and] none, according to Nato, is in critical condition."
Major Virginia McCabe, a press officer at Bagram, said: "We know
there are claims of suicide bombers but we are not aware of it at this
time."
Helicopter gunships hovered about the base as the attack
continued.
"We're always prepared to deal with attacks on our base, the response
this morning was immediate," said Lieutenant-Colonel Clarence Counts, a
spokesman for the Bagram base.
Spring offensive
Wednesday's attack follows the Taliban's announcement that they
would launch a spring offensiveagainst the Afghan government and
foreign forces in Afghanistan in response to Nato's plans for a military
campaign on the group's southern stronghold of Kandahar.
On
Tuesday, a suicide car bomber attacked a Nato-led military convoy
during rush hour in Kabul,killing at least 18 people and six foreign
troops. Five of the troops were Americans and one was Canadian.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for Tuesday's blast, one of the
deadliest attacks in Kabul in months.
So far this year, 202 Nato soldiers have died, marking January to
mid-May period in the Afghan war the deadliest. At least 520
Nato troops died in 2009, the deadliest year so far for US-led foreign
troops since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban regime.
Since summer 2009, one or two Nato soldiers have died on
average each day.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
At least seven Taliban fighters have been killed
and nine Nato troops wounded in an assault on Bagram air base in
Afghanistan, Nato says.
Nato's International Security Assistance
Force, or Isaf, said on Wednesday: "Seven insugents have been killed...
during the attack on Bagram that included rockets, small arms and
grenades."
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the
attack, saying 20 suicide bombers took part in the assault, which began
overnight.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the group's spokesman, told the
AFP news agency: "Four suicide bombers activated their explosive belts
and fighting is continuing at the base."
'Brazen' attack
Bagram,
which is near Kabul, the capital, is one of the biggest military bases
in Afghanistan and mainly holds US troops as well as a detention centre
where al-Qaeda-linked fighters and "terror" suspects are held.
Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel-Hamid, reporting from Bagram, described the
attack as "quite brazen and daring".
She said the attack started
"about 3am when US guards at Bagram spotted a car and started shooting
at it".
"That's
when this long gun battle that lasted for about eight hours happened,"
said our correspondent.
"It was very intense [the battle] between 3am and until about
daylight ...
"[A] Taliban spokesman said that the attackers detonated themselves
in front of the main gate and managed to enter the airfield.
"But that is something Nato completely refutes. They do say that
rocket and mortars have landed inside the base. Nine soldiers have been
wounded [and] none, according to Nato, is in critical condition."
Major Virginia McCabe, a press officer at Bagram, said: "We know
there are claims of suicide bombers but we are not aware of it at this
time."
Helicopter gunships hovered about the base as the attack
continued.
"We're always prepared to deal with attacks on our base, the response
this morning was immediate," said Lieutenant-Colonel Clarence Counts, a
spokesman for the Bagram base.
Spring offensive
Wednesday's attack follows the Taliban's announcement that they
would launch a spring offensiveagainst the Afghan government and
foreign forces in Afghanistan in response to Nato's plans for a military
campaign on the group's southern stronghold of Kandahar.
On
Tuesday, a suicide car bomber attacked a Nato-led military convoy
during rush hour in Kabul,killing at least 18 people and six foreign
troops. Five of the troops were Americans and one was Canadian.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for Tuesday's blast, one of the
deadliest attacks in Kabul in months.
So far this year, 202 Nato soldiers have died, marking January to
mid-May period in the Afghan war the deadliest. At least 520
Nato troops died in 2009, the deadliest year so far for US-led foreign
troops since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban regime.
Since summer 2009, one or two Nato soldiers have died on
average each day.
Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy