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| Taliban Bombers Attack Air Base in Afghanistan | Taliban Bombers Attack Air Base in Afghanistan |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban suicide bombers assaulted a large coalition airfield in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday, sparking a two-hour gunbattle that drew in helicopter gunships and resulted in the deaths of numerous attackers, a handful of the base’s Afghan security guards and as many as four doctors whose car was caught in the crossfire, Afghan officials and witnesses said. | |
| By late morning, the main approach to the base on the edge of Jalalabad was strewn with blood, bodies and the remains of bombers who had been blown apart by their own explosives or the heavy ammunition used by base’s defenders, said Haji Niamatullah Khan, the governor of the Behsood district, where the airfield is located. | By late morning, the main approach to the base on the edge of Jalalabad was strewn with blood, bodies and the remains of bombers who had been blown apart by their own explosives or the heavy ammunition used by base’s defenders, said Haji Niamatullah Khan, the governor of the Behsood district, where the airfield is located. |
| He put the total number of attackers at 11, though he acknowledged that he could not say for certain given the chaotic scene at the entrance of the base and American efforts to limit access to the area. | He put the total number of attackers at 11, though he acknowledged that he could not say for certain given the chaotic scene at the entrance of the base and American efforts to limit access to the area. |
| The Taliban took credit for the attack, claiming to have killed “tens” of foreign soldiers. The insurgents routinely overstate the effectiveness of their attacks, and on Sunday, Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said medical evacuation helicopters could be seen ferrying dead and wounded American soldiers away from the scene, “which shows that heavy casualties were inflicted” by the attackers. | |
| He also claimed that a Toyota sport utility vehicle packed with explosives had leveled a guard towers at the base, and added that some of the attackers were wearing “foreign” military uniforms, a tactic the Taliban have employed in previous assaults on coalition bases. | |
| The base, known as Forward Operating Base Fenty, is primarily American, and is one of the larger airfields in eastern Afghanistan. Like other large coalition bases in the country, Fenty has been attacked before. The assaults have, in most cases, been repulsed before insurgents could fight their way inside the bases, and coalition casualties have been minimal, as appears to have been the case on Sunday. | The base, known as Forward Operating Base Fenty, is primarily American, and is one of the larger airfields in eastern Afghanistan. Like other large coalition bases in the country, Fenty has been attacked before. The assaults have, in most cases, been repulsed before insurgents could fight their way inside the bases, and coalition casualties have been minimal, as appears to have been the case on Sunday. |
| But the Afghans who work or live near the base have not been so fortunate. Mr. Khan, the district governor, said up to four doctors were killed when their car was riddled by gunfire about 50 yards from the base. The doctors had been on their way to work in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province, Mr. Khan said, adding that there may have been other civilian deaths as well. | But the Afghans who work or live near the base have not been so fortunate. Mr. Khan, the district governor, said up to four doctors were killed when their car was riddled by gunfire about 50 yards from the base. The doctors had been on their way to work in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar Province, Mr. Khan said, adding that there may have been other civilian deaths as well. |
| In addition, at least three private security guards who man the outer perimeter at the base were killed in the attack, he said. | In addition, at least three private security guards who man the outer perimeter at the base were killed in the attack, he said. |
| An official from the American-led coalition was still assessing what had taken place at the gates of the base and was tracking reports of civilian casualties. “We’re aware of the reporting that there have been civilian casualties, but it is just too early for us to be certain,” said the official. | An official from the American-led coalition was still assessing what had taken place at the gates of the base and was tracking reports of civilian casualties. “We’re aware of the reporting that there have been civilian casualties, but it is just too early for us to be certain,” said the official. |
| There were no reports of coalition service members killed or seriously wounded in the attack. | There were no reports of coalition service members killed or seriously wounded in the attack. |
| The official said at least two of the suicide bombers appeared to be what the military calls “vehicle borne,” though the official could not yet say whether the explosives were packed into cars or carried on motorcycles. A third suicide bomber, presumably traveling on foot, was also believed to have taken part in the attack on Fenty, the official said. | The official said at least two of the suicide bombers appeared to be what the military calls “vehicle borne,” though the official could not yet say whether the explosives were packed into cars or carried on motorcycles. A third suicide bomber, presumably traveling on foot, was also believed to have taken part in the attack on Fenty, the official said. |
| The coalition was still trying to determine the exact number of attackers who had taken part in the assault, said the official, who asked not to be identified because details about the attack were still coming in and could change. | The coalition was still trying to determine the exact number of attackers who had taken part in the assault, said the official, who asked not to be identified because details about the attack were still coming in and could change. |