Taliban storm strategic Afghan city

[shravan]

Taliban storm strategic Afghan city - CNN.com

KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Taliban militants attacked a municipal building in the city of Khost in eastern Afghanistan Tuesday, fighting pitched battles with U.S. forces and taking hostages, U.S. and local officials said.

A U.S. military spokesman said the city -- a hotbed of Taliban activity near the Pakistan border -- is not considered secure as reports of running battles, kidnappings and fatalities surface.

The fighting began when U.S. forces initially responded to a suicide bomber at a government compound in the city and came under heavy attack, the U.S. military spokesman said.

Officials in Khost told CNN that insurgents attacked the municipal building, and the police chief there said attackers killed two police officers, two security guards and two civilians.

A Taliban spokesman in Afghanistan told CNN 30 Taliban fighters were involved in the attack, and said they were suicide bombers wearing explosive vests. Eight Taliban fighters died in the fighting.

The U.S. military spokesman said U.S. troops killed several militants but had to fall back.

He said a U.S. quick reaction force, backed by helicopters, from a nearby base was called to join ground troops entering the city.

The spokesman said additional suicide bombers then entered government buildings, killing an unknown number of additional Afghans.

Said Mohammad, chief of staff of the Khost police Security Commander told CNN that armed Taliban are in the basement of the Khost municipality building.

"I don't know about the exact number of the Taliban involved in this attack, but I think there are six to seven Taliban who are still alive and show resistance." These Taliban have taken some students and municipality staff as hostages."

 

[S-2]

What a "heroic" operation.

Long may the tales of these intrepid warriors be told among the campfires of my people.

Pissants holding civilian hostages in a basement. Do the honorable thing-release them and blow yourselves up.

 

[zubair723]

What a "heroic" operation.

Long may the tales of these intrepid warriors be told among the campfires of my people.

Pissants holding civilian hostages in a basement. Do the honorable thing-release them and blow yourselves up.

And how honourable bombing women & chidren & civillian is?

 

[S-2]

Human Rights Watch has issued two reports that merit your attention-

Troops In Contact-HRW Sept. 8, 2008

For all the complaint, justifiably or not about American and ISAF close-airstrikes, not once does HRW HINT at the deliberate targeting of afghan civilians.

I doubt, though, you see the difference. Let me help you with another report from HRW-

The Human Cost: The Consequences Of Insurgent Attacks in Afghanistan- HRW April 15, 2007

In the second report, HRW makes all-too-clear the frequency with which the taliban and other militants have TARGETED afghan civilians. Do you see the distinction now?

Perhaps you're one whom believes that wars will be waged without civilian cost. Not so. We see the most recent example of such and, at this point, the increasing suggestion that the taliban played a particularly dastardly role.

Enjoy your heroes, buckwheat. Great group of guys. Meanwhile, you've some serious reading to do.

 

[zubair723]

All yankee doodle crap. HRW or whoever.
Its mere justification of wrong because of frustration that the INTERNATIONAL POLICE with all the NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK TECHNOLOGY is not able to handle a few thousand rag tags & in reality the COWBOYs hunters have become the hunted & the haunted.
Croak as much as you can but really its what the AMERICANs say ' PLAY IN **** FOR LONG & SOMETHING IS BOUND TO STICK'

 

[roadrunner]

S-2 is currently in denial, zubair. All wars extract a huge civilian casualty list. He's just comparing it to the war he fought in 1942 as chief chef on the USS Enterprise, when, of course, there was a really high attrition rate. Things have moved on from then, of course.

 

[S-2]

"All yankee doodle crap. HRW or whoever.
Its mere justification of wrong because of frustration that the INTERNATIONAL POLICE with all the NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK TECHNOLOGY is not able to handle a few thousand rag tags & in reality the COWBOYs hunters have become the hunted & the haunted.
Croak as much as you can but really its what the AMERICANs say ' PLAY IN **** FOR LONG & SOMETHING IS BOUND TO STICK'"

No. Actually you rant. I posted good information from informed and serious sources. Reading such and learning was more than you could a.) handle technically, b.) felt threatened with intellectually, or c.) both.

Your problem, rant-boy. Not mine.

Take your self-righteous posturing to the sand-box and play with the kiddies.

Thanks.

 

[moha199]

S-2 I am also an American but can you justify 700 Pakistani civilian deaths by drones attacks and only less then 20 main terrorists, I couldn't justify it, I will see if you can? We are killing people too same as terrorists are. Saddam killed 5000 kurds and we killed one million Iraqis, How can i justify that, I ask my self a question that is democracy is worth million people life??? The answer comes NO! We Americans are fooling ourself nothing more. We know that drones are counter productive but still we Use them in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 70% Afghanistan is controlled by Taliban's, Why? Brother stop saying that we are the only good one's because we are not. I understand that in wars civilian dies and no one wants to kill them and we don't want to kill civilians but we do kill them. Did you ever think that if someone comes to your house and kill your daughter and try to say that it was a mistake of war! how would you feel, And again you see the same person doing the same mistake after one month and again? This is how world takes us. That we kill people and say sorry and i personally condam this!!!!!

 

[zubair723]

No. Actually you rant. I posted good information from informed and serious sources. Reading such and learning was more than you could a.) handle technically, b.) felt threatened with intellectually, or c.) both.

Your problem, rant-boy. Not mine.

Take your self-righteous posturing to the sand-box and play with the kiddies.

Thanks.

So if this is a war & civillian casualities are accepted then why rant if they also suicide bomb your civillians & kill them. If these are the accepted rules so then 'everything is fair in love & war'. As far as my kiddie intellect can see & judge, all are 'TERRORISTS'.And supreme TERRORIST being the one who has killed more civillians. And what does your higly serious & reliable sources say about this, who has killed more till now??
Instead of crying like a spoiled baby girl who insists on saying 'pink is red' , go & get some wisdom which your 'sources' are hammering none into you.

 

[S-2]

"S-2 is currently in denial, zubair. All wars extract a huge civilian casualty list. He's just comparing it to the war he fought in 1942 as chief chef on the USS Enterprise, when, of course, there was a really high attrition rate. Things have moved on from then, of course."

Aren't you the "analyst" who still owes me a C.V.?

Denial? THIS war in Afghanistan has extracted less casualties, by far, than either the Soviet-Afghan war or the Afghan civil war. You could easily know the facts, roadrunner, but the actual pursuit of truth is a threat to your feebly-enforced and myopic anti-American narrative.

This wikipedia entry of Afghan war casualties is EXTENSIVELY footnoted from sound sourcing and indicates total deaths from this war at around 22,300 since 9/11/01. You do the math over seven and one-half years.

Afghanistan Casualties 2001-Present Wikipedia

Oh, while you're at it-

400,000 dead through the nineties,

"While more than 400,000 Afghan civilians have lost their lives in the 1990s alone, the humanitarian crisis has had a particularly hard effect on Afghan children, who make up nearly half the nation's population..."

Life Under the Taliban Cuts Two Ways-CS Monitor Sept. 20, 2001

Please dispute these numbers should you wish.

Finally, of course, the Soviet-Afghan War. No links necessary. 900,000-3,000,000. Another 5,000,000 refugees. Take your pick on the dead. Nobody really knows but those godless communists really liked slaughtering, pillaging, maiming, burning, etc. All that good Russian/Soviet behavior.

We've been absolute puppies relative to the beasts that have traipsed this land.

Your research skills, Mr. "Analyst", remain unobserved.

 

[Solomon2]

I guess these guys prefer to be anti-American as a matter of dignity; they don't want to believe that "their people" are worse than others. Is there anything more important that dignity, zubair? How about you, roadrunner?

 

[Durran3]

S-2 I am also an American but can you justify 700 Pakistani civilian deaths by drones attacks and only less then 20 main terrorists, I couldn't justify it, I will see if you can? We are killing people too same as terrorists are. Saddam killed 5000 kurds and we killed one million Iraqis, How can i justify that, I ask my self a question that is democracy is worth million people life??? The answer comes NO! We Americans are fooling ourself nothing more. We know that drones are counter productive but still we Use them in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 70% Afghanistan is controlled by Taliban's, Why? Brother stop saying that we are the only good one's because we are not. I understand that in wars civilian dies and no one wants to kill them and we don't want to kill civilians but we do kill them. Did you ever think that if someone comes to your house and kill your daughter and try to say that it was a mistake of war! how would you feel, And again you see the same person doing the same mistake after one month and again? This is how world takes us. That we kill people and say sorry and i personally condam this!!!!!

I was against the Iraq war from the start, but your view of the Iraq war is Skewed. American's didn't KILL 1 million civilians (that number itself is a gross exaggeration). More than Half the casualties occured from the Shia/Sunni Conflict which is basically a civil war. Don't blame the Americans in everything that happens in Iraq, though this civil war would not have occured if they didn't attack Iraq in the first place but to blame America for the Shia's killing the Sunni's and vice versa is stupid. I think you as an American need to look more deeply into the Iraq war than make blunt statements.

Most American military personel don't go about killing people just for the heck of it, they are accountable to higher authority and are trialed in court for their actions. Just because a few of them act horrendously doesn't mean all military personel act the same way. With that being said first tell the Shia leaders who vowed to fight the scourge of sectarianism against Sunni's and vice versa. More civilians have died at the hands of these secratarian wars. The Shia and Sunni and other sectarian differences among Muslims are all man-made and they go against the creed of faith and the spirit of the divine message.

NOW why America went into Iraq is another question and that strategy was obviously flawed... but as far this reply goes i am strictly talking to the grossly exaggerted number of casualties you've posted and blamed simply the US for the insane number of casualites

 

[S-2]

Nicely handled sir.

 

[zubair723]

I guess these guys prefer to be anti-American as a matter of dignity; they don't want to believe that "their people" are worse than others. Is there anything more important that dignity, zubair? How about you, roadrunner?

Just rotate the question & apply it on your ownself? You will get our answer. Wait....also change the word 'dignity' to arrogance'

 

[Solomon2]

Just rotate the question & apply it on your ownself? You will get our answer -

I'd rather read the answer from your own text.

. Wait....also change the word 'dignity' to arrogance'

As for "arrogance", I'm lucky enough to live in a country where a lot of the tough issues that Pakistan faces have either already been resolved or simply don't exist. I realize that that fact doesn't make me a better or worse person than others - especially since I don't have to make the tough choices many Pakistanis have to make every day. I'm only an American!