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Taliban paying Afghans to attack troops: US
Taliban militants are threatening and paying local Afghans to carry out attacks against US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan, a US military spokesman said on Wednesday as troops came under renewed rocket attack. âAfghan civilians have told coalition forces that they have been âapproachedâ by Taliban to launch rockets at coalition targets in exchange for money,â Lieutenant Colonel Douglas Lefforge told reporters at the Bagram Airbase. Some 20 months after the fall of the Taliban, remnants of the militia still launch regular attacks on US-led troops, mostly using 107-mm rockets which are inaccurate and seldom hit their targets.
| Sometimes falling in the wrong county... |
Lt Col Lefforge attributed the inaccuracy to lack of experience by those firing the rockets and payments or threats by the Taliban to locals. âWe have interviewed people who either know somebody who has been paid or they have actually been paid (to fire rockets) and have promised they never do it again,â he said.
| "Well, y'see, they gimme this money, so I just popped one off. I mean, it ain't like I was gonna hit anything, 'cept by accident. I only got the one eye, and my turban keeps falling down over it..." |
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-08-07 |
