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Afghanistan

Fresh violence kills 13 in Afghanistan

2006-06-29

(KUNA) -- Thirteen people, including one coalition soldier and 12 Taliban fighters, were killed and three coalition soldiers injured in two fresh incidents of violence in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday.

So that's one person and a dozen Talibs.

A press released issued from the coalition's Bagram base here said one coalition soldier was killed and three suffered injuries today while conducting combat operations in Nawzad district of the insurgency-hit Helmand province. A coalition force patrol was conducting security operations in Nawzad when their uparmoured vehicle struck an old landmine. One soldier was killed and three suffered injuries. "We regret the loss of our fellow soldier and his sacrifice will not be forgotten," said coalition commander Major General Benjamin C Freakley. "Our thoughts and prayers extend to the family of our lost soldier and to the families and comrades of those wounded," said the commander.

In a separate operation in the Shahidi Has district of the neighbouring Uruzgan province, the Afghan and coalition forces raided a compound and killed 12 Taliban fighters. Two soldiers belonging to the Afghan National Army (ANA) received slight injuries. They were treated at their base camp, said the release. It added the targeted compound was frequently used by Taliban insurgents as a meeting place to plan and facilitate attacks against Afghan civilians, ANA and coalition forces. Taliban did not issue any comment on the casualties.

The coalition forces suffered the fresh casualties the day when US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Kabul to renew her country's pledge for continued support for the war against terror in Afghanistan. Earlier in the day, two suicide bombers tried to target a US military base in Zabul province but their explosive-packed car went off prematurely. Both the bombers were killed and eight other civilians were injured in the failed attempt.

Posted by:Fred

#5 The horrific rule-of-thumb is 3% of the population dead to set in the mind that the war is over.

Mileage varies, Russia and Parugaway for instance.

Posted by: 6 2006-06-29 15:06

#4 But it stops being romantic when all one's friends simply disappear in the wilds of Afghanistan, Steve White, never to be heard from again -- and no reports of great victories followed by Muttawa fun, either. It may take longer because of the conditions you describe, is all.

Posted by: trailing wife 2006-06-29 10:48

#3 Run out of bodies? I dunno, Pakiwakiland (that is, North Wazoo, aka, home of the Taliban) has a lot of young men and boys who are dumb as dirt, educated in madrassas (but I repeat myself) and easily led by the nose.

Posted by: Steve White 2006-06-29 09:51

#2 They will run out, it just takes time. What happened to all the Algerian jihadis who were fighting against their government in the 1990s? The smart ones accepted an amnesty, the dumb ones are dead. Same dynamic in operation in Afghanistan and beginning to happen in Iraq as well.

Posted by: Apostate 2006-06-29 07:38

#1 The ratio seems to be pretty high 1/12 in this case.
But in many battles, 40 Taliwhackers, no Coalition casualties. You'd think they would simply run out of bodies at some point.

Posted by: bigjim-ky 2006-06-29 07:32

00:00