The hits just keep on rolling…
KABUL, Afghanistan – Insurgents firing rockets, mortars and automatic weapons launched a ground assault Saturday against NATO’s biggest base in southern Afghanistan, wounding several coalition troops and civilian employees in the second such attack on a major military installation this week, officials said.
A Canadian Press news agency report from the Kandahar Air Field said artillery and machine gun fire reverberated through the base, about 300 miles (500 kilometers) southwest of Kabul, several hours after the attack began. Militants unleashed rockets and mortars about 8 p.m. (15:30 GMT) and then tried unsuccessfully to storm the northern perimeter, officials said.
Um, sure is a good thing we didn’t send as many troops as General Petraeus requested otherwise the Taliban might not feel so emboldened as to directly attack the two largest US Military bases in Afghanistan. I think it’s about time to a) give the man the troops he needs to attain stability in the country, b) give the force protection folks on the bases (including the average Joes on the ground) the freedom to defend their bases without fear of repercussions, and c) start taking base security seriously like they did in the earlier years of the war. US military bases in combat zones aren’t just make-work program implementation stations for local nationals, they are the axles upon which the wheels of war roll.
Tags: Afghanistan, attack, Kandahar, Kandahar Air Field, Taliban, Terrorists
Sadly, it’s so illogical for a career politician to tell a General how to run a war, that it’s what we should expect from this administration (and others, frankly). I read somewhere today (http://weaselzippers.us/2010/05/23/report-american-soldiers-in-afghanistan-ordered-to-patrol-with-their-weapons-unloaded/) that some troops have been ordered to patrol with unloaded rifles. Again, completely illogical, which means it makes perfect sense…
I think I would rather go to the brig rather then walk patrol in that part of the world with an unloaded piece.