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| Afghanistan | |
| Leon Panetta unhurt after suspected attack | |
| 2012-03-14 | |
| Nato has ordered a security lockdown at its massive base in central Afghanistan after a car surged on to an airfield and burst into flames just as the US defence secretary landed for an official visit. The incident happened as Leon Panetta touched down at Camp Bastion in Helmand province and prompted a security alert as investigators tried to establish whether he was the target of an attack. A man was pulled from the burning car and is now being treated at a hospital on the base. Sources said the vehicle was about 100 metres from Panetta's aircraft when it crashed, and that neither he nor any members of his entourage were in any danger. However, the Nato-led International Security and Assistance Force (Isaf) must now determine whether the driver, thought to be an Afghan, was involved in a failed terrorist plot. Though details remain sketchy, the Pentagon confirmed the vehicle involved was a pickup truck that had been stolen from a soldier in a car-jacking shortly before it drove at speed on to the runway.
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| Posted by:tipper |
| #14 You people are all retarded. How did the bad guys know what the good guys were doing? There are a lot of people who need to die, forthwith. |
| Posted by: rammer 2012-03-14 23:50 |
| #13 After the Fort Hood incident with just one person having a gun, now in the midst of lots of them. This qualifies as a retirement submission. Why should any marine or soldier have any trust of their superiors with an act like that. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-03-14 23:07 |
| #12 Panetta didn't order it, at least from what I reading. An itchy commander worried about PR, or an assistant to the SoD. I'd also like to point out we STILL don't know what the hell the story is regarding the soldier who did the killings. Friday News Dump edition will be informative I hope. |
| Posted by: Charles 2012-03-14 21:45 |
| #11 Agree #10. What a set up. Remembering Seal Team 6. I'm certain the Marines felt super insulted to "be numbered" as equals with their Afghanistan counterparts. What a demotion. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2012-03-14 21:42 |
| #10 I would think if I suspected an attack the safest place in Afghanistan would be in a tent with 200 Marines with guns. |
| Posted by: airandee 2012-03-14 21:26 |
| #9 Sounds to me that since so many of our guys hjave been shot by their Afghan counter parts, it makes perfect sense that Pantyetta would demand our guys to disarm themselves. |
| Posted by: George Ebbeamp4828 2012-03-14 21:21 |
| #8 "Major General Mark Gurganus later said he gave the order because Afghan troops attending the talk were unarmed and he wanted the policy to be consistent for all. " All hail the "peaceful one" OUR SECDEF. Ferris, Trump... anyone? |
| Posted by: newc 2012-03-14 21:01 |
| #7 On Drudge, from the Telegraph: Less than a week after a US staff sergeant allegedly massacred 16 civilians in Kandahar, American soldiers were banned from bringing guns into a talk by Mr Panetta at a base in Helmand province. Around 200 troops who had gathered in a tent at Camp Leatherneck were told "something had come to light" and asked abruptly to file outside and lay down their automatic rifles and 9mm pistols. "Somebody got itchy, that's all I've got to say. Somebody got itchy – we just adjust," said the sergeant who was told to clear the hall of weapons. Major General Mark Gurganus later said he gave the order because Afghan troops attending the talk were unarmed and he wanted the policy to be consistent for all. |
| Posted by: Muggsy Glink 2012-03-14 19:54 |
| #6 NYT article sez it was not the truck, but the Afghan himself that was on fire: Mr. Little said that the stolen vehicle had not exploded, contrary to some earlier reports, and that Mr. Panetta had never been in danger. But he could not explain the AfghanÂ’s motive or explain why he was on fire. Allow me to suggest that no explanation is needed beyond the volatile nature of your everyday Musselman. Spontaneous human combustion is, no doubt, a common but underreported phenomenon in regions afflicted by the Religion of Pieces. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2012-03-14 18:23 |
| #5 Taliban surge. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2012-03-14 17:15 |
| #4 workplace violence. |
| Posted by: jack salami 2012-03-14 16:23 |
| #3 It was the new replacement for leading Afghanistan into the future from the secret cabal somewhere in Maryland! Kabobs Rule! Army is getting new flag check it out fox news! |
| Posted by: Slats Angomp6229 2012-03-14 16:18 |
| #2 Update A British serviceman was also injured in the incident when the local employee at Camp Bastion deliberately drove the stolen vehicle into a group of soldiers undergoing training near the airfield. The Afghan managed to get through the heavy security cordon surrounding the airfield in the middle of the base and onto the runway where the politician was arriving. He managed to break through the perimeter surrounded by armed security and large concrete block guards. The truck, possibly a pick-up, caught fire and crashed into a ditch on the runway close to where Mr PanettaÂ’s jet had just landed or was coming into land. Initial military reports indicate there were no explosive devices inside the vehicle at Camp Bastion. The car was heading towards a welcoming committee for Mr Panetta when it burst into flames and the alleged perpetrator was arrested. |
| Posted by: tipper 2012-03-14 16:02 |
| #1 Yeah, let's not rush to judgment here. For instance, was the truck actually burning or simply rusting very, very fast? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2012-03-14 15:50 |