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US builds new Afghan airbase
The US military is building a new airbase in south-eastern Afghanistan, in a remote desert area near the border with Pakistan. US commanders say the airstrip, in Paktika province, will be capable of taking large transport aircraft. The move is aimed at improving security in the region. It should also allow US forces to move in more ground troops to combat remnants of the Taleban and al-Qaeda, who remain active in the area. The operation began in the dark, with five giant US air force planes dropping tons of construction equipment onto the desert plateau where the airstrip is being built. Under the terms of being with the unit of US soldiers, the exact location cannot be given.
| Kind of hard to hide a entire airbase |
| I planted hedges around mine. Nobody ever notices it... |
Soldiers on the ground guided in the planes, which had flown all the way from Germany. Work began soon afterwards, bulldozing the hard, rocky scrub. In less than four days' time, the troops of the 27th Combat Engineering Battalion aim to have created an airstrip capable of taking C-130 transport aircraft. Even larger aircraft will eventually be able to land here.
| C-17s most likely, plus the AC-130s, A-10s and choppers. |
US commanders will not say exactly how they intend to use the base, but it will allow them to move far larger forces into this region more quickly. This is an area where suspected Taleban militants remain active and just across the border is the Pakistani tribal area of Waziristan, where until recently Islamic militants were battling the Pakistani military.
| Humm, giving up on the Pak offensive and prepping for our own? |
The new American presence on this side of the border has so far attracted little attention, apart from a few trucks on a nearby road. But US forces are keeping a close watch on the area, with aircraft patrolling as well as troops on the ground.
| Gee, a new air base out in the middle of nowhere with nobody watching. Somebody has a plan to open a new can of whoop ass. |
Posted by: Steve 2004-04-26 |
