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| Down Under |
| Australian, Dutch and Afghani Soldiers kill at least 50 Taliban |
| 2007-10-29 |
| * No coalition troops killed in attack * Air strikes called to defeat rebels * At least 50 Taliban insurgents killed Australian soldiers have fought a six-hour battle with Taliban insurgents, killing at least 50 militants in a joint operation with Afghani and other NATO troops in southern Afghanistan. No coalition troops were killed in Sunday's attack on a Taliban stronghold in Uruzgan province, which followed the deaths in the last three weeks of Australian soldiers David Pearce and decorated SAS sergeant Matthew Locke in Afghanistan. Australian, Dutch and Afghani army soldiers launched the attack on Baluch village during a gathering of local Taliban, provincial police chief Juma Gul Himat said. Charles Anthony, a spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force, said that "several dozen militants were killed" in the clash. "This was a well-led and well-co-ordinated engagement, with the Afghani National Army and ISAF working in conjunction with each other," he said. Afghani Defence Ministry spokesman Zaher Murad said Afghan and ISAF forces, including Australians, fought the insurgents on the ground and called in air strikes to defeat the rebels. Mr Murad said the Taliban had suffered at least 50 dead and 13 insurgents had been captured. "We don't know exactly how many insurgents were killed, their bodies are still on the battlefield," he said. Two policemen and an Afghani soldier were also wounded, Mr Jumat said. Dutch and Australian troops form the bulk of ISAF forces in Uruzgan. Afghan and mainly Western forces are struggling to contain a Taliban insurgency based in the south and east, which is hampering reconstruction and undermining faith in the Government of President Hamid Karzai. Sunday's clash, in the south-central province of Uruzgan, comes as ISAF troops and Afghan forces are conducting a large offensive in the area against Taliban rebels. "This is part of the Spin Ghar operation, which began on Thursday," Mr Murad said. Violence in Afghanistan this year has been the deadliest since the 2001 US-led invasion, and more than 5300 people have died because of insurgency-related violence. Also in the south, a roadside bomb against a US-led coalition convoy killed one soldier and wounded another, a coalition statement said. In the east, coalition forces raided a compound suspected of housing al-Qaeda facilitators, killing several militants on Sunday. |
| Posted by:Oztralian |
| #5 SAID England unto Pharaoh, “I must make a man of you, That will stand upon his feet and play the game; That will Maxim his oppressor as a Christian ought to do,” And she sent old Pharaoh Sergeant Whatisname. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-10-29 21:56 |
| #4 It's NATO policy NOT to announce a count of enemy dead. I have an e-mail from them to that effect. The Dutch are not deployed in an offensive mode. Last I had heard, their orders were to defend themselves only. Their Air Force, however, is kicking ass. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2007-10-29 21:14 |
| #3 Good going. Keep this up and Paradise will have to switch back to dispensing raisins to the "martyrs". |
| Posted by: GK 2007-10-29 20:08 |
| #2 I notice the press keeps quoting total casualties without a breakout of bad guys. It looks like it was just increased by 1%. 1% here, 1% there. It all adds up. |
| Posted by: Throger Thains8048 2007-10-29 19:38 |
| #1 Good on ya Dutch and Diggers! |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2007-10-29 18:23 |