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Afghanistan
U.S. says troops kill 32 insurgents in Afghanistan
2009-01-07
U.S.-led coalition forces killed 32 insurgents in fighting that erupted in a village in eastern Afghanistan following a raid on a hideout of bomb-makers, the U.S. military said on Wednesday.
Not such a good hideout after all, was it?
Violence has surged in recent years in Afghanistan since the Taliban, ousted in a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, regrouped in 2005 for driving out the foreign troops and to topple the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.

Tuesday's operation was in a village of Laghman province and targeted a Taliban roadside bomb cell responsible for numerous attacks throughout the region, the U.S. military said in a statement.
Whoops, look like you violated the terms of your group life insurance polices.
"During the operation, as many as 75 armed militants exited their compounds and attempted to converge on the force. Shooting from rooftops and alleyways, the militants engaged Coalition forces with small-arms fire in the village," it said.
Next time try bigger arms.
"Coalition forces killed 32 armed insurgents including one female, detained one suspected militant, and destroyed two large caches of weapons, explosives and roadside bomb materials during an operation," it added.
Better check under the burqa on that "female".
It did not mention any troop or civilian casualties in the operation.
Bummer if you're a Taliban. But I'm sure the Taliban PR Department will come up with something.
The Taliban were not immediately available for comment and Reuters could not verify independently the U.S. military's accounts about the clash.
That's because they get confused when asked to count higher than ten.
Posted by:gorb

#5  I belive they call that "boilerplate".
Posted by: tu3031   2009-01-07 18:52  

#4  crosspaych, i'm glad too see someone who thinks the same thing i do. I'm also tired of reading those same lines in every damn story written about afghanistan
Posted by: rabid whitetail   2009-01-07 13:04  

#3  "Violence has surged in recent years in Afghanistan since the Taliban, ousted in a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, regrouped in 2005 "

Uhm, no. Violence has surged exactly as the US commander there said it would as we get more aggressive in finding and confronting the Taliban. The Taliban aren't "regrouping" and attacking, we are seeking them out, making contact, and killing them.

Notice this raid. It was us locating and attacking a "hideout". A person who is hiding is doing the opposite of "driving out the foreign troops". They are trying to avoid contact with foreign troops and we are not allowing them to do that. They are going to be cold, hungry, and tired come Spring.
Posted by: crosspatch   2009-01-07 12:11  

#2  i also dount that Reuters would have the same accounting of this fire fight
Posted by: rabid whitetail   2009-01-07 11:56  

#1  The Taliban were not immediately available for comment and Reuters could not verify independently the U.S. military's accounts about the clash.

Nobody at Reuters has Blinky on speed dial?
I seriously doubt that...
Posted by: tu3031   2009-01-07 10:14  

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