Article

2009-08-15 Afghanistan

Large blast heard in Afghan capital near embassies

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Posted by tipper 2009-08-15 01:32|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 Update
Taliban claim suicide strike on NATO HQ in Kabul

The Taliban claimed responsibility for a suicide car bomb in front of the heavily fortified headquarters of U.S. and NATO troops in Kabul on Saturday, saying the target was the U.S. embassy nearby.

"The target was the U.S. embassy, but we could not reach it. The suicide car bomber exploded near the ISAF headquarters and killed several foreign troops," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location, referring to the International Security Assistance Force.

Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Yousuf Azimy said three people were killed and 14 wounded, all civilians.

Posted by tipper 2009-08-15 01:41|| 2009-08-15 01:41|| Front Page Top

#2 3 dead and 70 injured is the latest I can find.

Posted by crosspatch 2009-08-15 01:50|| 2009-08-15 01:50|| Front Page Top

#3 what happened to the claim of crazy Bush that war is over.Goal will not be achieved in Afghanistan till all USA forces leave the country.this attack is the beginning ,will follow more i think

Posted by wazdan">wazdan 2009-08-15 02:07|| 2009-08-15 02:07|| Front Page Top

#4 wazdan dear, you really must put one of those /end sarcasm thingies at the end of such a statement. Otherwise readers will conclude that you lack any knowledge of recent history, specifically of America, the various fronts of what "crazy Bush" referred to as the War on Terror, Afghanistan's place relative to other fronts such as Iraq, the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, etc, and the nearly two century history of the American armed forces winning small wars against insurgents. Were you not being sarcastic, I'd suggest Wikipedia could get you started, but of course for the final subject America's General Petraeus wrote the definitive textbook, which no doubt can be found on Amazon.com.

You're quite right that the goal of the "Taliban" will not be achieved, although of course this attack is only one of many by them that failed to achieve its goal, not the first. More will indeed follow, as they work ever harder to alienate the very Afghan people (especially the Pashtuns or Pakhtons, depending whether you prefer the northern or southern pronunciation, of course) whose support they need to succeed in retaking the country. But we saw in Iraq what happens when alien terrorists attempt to frighten the locals into accepting them: in the end it was the Sons of Iraq who, using Western support, so thoroughly defeated Al Qaeda that the rag tag survivors ran away to Somalia and the Gaza Strip... where the natives are merrily killing them off, one by one.

I am so glad you only forgot to type that /sarcasm thingy, wazdan dear. I'd hate to think someone from your part of the world was truly that ignorant.

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2009-08-15 03:42|| 2009-08-15 03:42|| Front Page Top

#5 Artfully said TW

Posted by tipover 2009-08-15 04:13|| 2009-08-15 04:13|| Front Page Top

#6 Wazdan should read Horse Soldiers. As long as we have men like the Special Forces we're not going to be beaten.

Posted by Steve White 2009-08-15 09:42|| 2009-08-15 09:42|| Front Page Top

#7 Wazdan has left his droppings here before. Terminally stoopid is my diagnosis with a ancillary condition of p*nis envy

Posted by Frank G on the road">Frank G on the road 2009-08-15 10:12|| 2009-08-15 10:12|| Front Page Top

#8 If I'm doing it right, Frank G, I estimate he's posting from Islamabad. But there's no guarantee I'm doing a computer thingy right.

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2009-08-15 10:30|| 2009-08-15 10:30|| Front Page Top

#9 what happened to the claim of crazy Bush that war is over.

You mean the 'Mission Acomplished' thing. That was actually related to the aircraft carrier President Bush was on. You do know what aircraft carriers are, right? They're what India will have.

Goal will not be achieved in Afghanistan till all USA forces leave the country.

What, turning it into a Pakistani colony? You guys can't even run your own country.

Posted by Pappy 2009-08-15 11:19|| 2009-08-15 11:19|| Front Page Top

#10 Rantburg Snark has really achieved the status of an art form. "Wazdan, dear, I'm going to remove your head ever so gently..."

Posted by Matt 2009-08-15 18:29|| 2009-08-15 18:29|| Front Page Top

#11 In a way, it's too bad that trailing wife doesn't have a nym that we can turn into a verb. We could say that someone has been "trailingwifed" when they've been eviscerated so gently that they don't even know it. But that doesn't trip off the tongue easily.

Posted by Rambler in Virginia">Rambler in Virginia 2009-08-15 20:37|| 2009-08-15 20:37|| Front Page Top

#12 Perhaps we could say "twifed," Rambler?

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2009-08-15 21:21|| 2009-08-15 21:21|| Front Page Top

#13 Y'all are delightful sillies, and I adore you. So there!

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2009-08-15 22:50|| 2009-08-15 22:50|| Front Page Top

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