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| American Soldier Killed in Taliban Attack on Afghan-U.S. Base | American Soldier Killed in Taliban Attack on Afghan-U.S. Base |
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| KABUL, Afghanistan — Backed by a truck bomb, Taliban gunmen in military fatigues staged a brazen raid on Monday against a sprawling base shared by American and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan. Afghan officials said an American soldier was killed in the attack, which took place a few miles from where the Taliban movement was founded nearly 20 years ago. | KABUL, Afghanistan — Backed by a truck bomb, Taliban gunmen in military fatigues staged a brazen raid on Monday against a sprawling base shared by American and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan. Afghan officials said an American soldier was killed in the attack, which took place a few miles from where the Taliban movement was founded nearly 20 years ago. |
| The assault on Forward Operating Base Pasab was the first major Taliban attack since the insurgents killed 21 civilians, 13 of them foreigners, at a popular Lebanese restaurant here in Kabul on Friday. Both the restaurant attack and the assault on Monday followed a well-established pattern used by militants across the region: A suicide bomber went in first to clear the way for gunmen. | The assault on Forward Operating Base Pasab was the first major Taliban attack since the insurgents killed 21 civilians, 13 of them foreigners, at a popular Lebanese restaurant here in Kabul on Friday. Both the restaurant attack and the assault on Monday followed a well-established pattern used by militants across the region: A suicide bomber went in first to clear the way for gunmen. |
| Used on Friday against the lightly guarded restaurant, Taverna du Liban, the tactic resulted in a massacre. But employed against the well-fortified military base on Monday, it was a near failure — the American soldier and all nine attackers were the only ones killed. | Used on Friday against the lightly guarded restaurant, Taverna du Liban, the tactic resulted in a massacre. But employed against the well-fortified military base on Monday, it was a near failure — the American soldier and all nine attackers were the only ones killed. |
| According to Afghan officials and officers from the NATO-led coalition, the assault on the base, which is in the Zhare district of Kandahar Province, began shortly after 10 a.m. when a small truck packed with explosives drove up to the main gate of Pasab. The driver set off a powerful blast, killing himself and the American soldier, said Jamal Agha, the governor of the district. | According to Afghan officials and officers from the NATO-led coalition, the assault on the base, which is in the Zhare district of Kandahar Province, began shortly after 10 a.m. when a small truck packed with explosives drove up to the main gate of Pasab. The driver set off a powerful blast, killing himself and the American soldier, said Jamal Agha, the governor of the district. |
| Within seconds of the explosion, a minivan sped to the gate, and eight gunmen clad in military fatigues and wearing suicide vests jumped out and tried to storm the base, officials said, though accounts differed on whether the insurgents’ uniforms were Afghan or American. | Within seconds of the explosion, a minivan sped to the gate, and eight gunmen clad in military fatigues and wearing suicide vests jumped out and tried to storm the base, officials said, though accounts differed on whether the insurgents’ uniforms were Afghan or American. |
| The attackers proved no match for the troops defending Pasab. The American surveillance around Pasab is extensive — cameras are mounted on masts and attached to balloons suspended hundreds of feet in the air — and American and Afghan soldiers “quickly engaged with the attackers and killed all eight bombers before they could enter the base,” said Mr. Agha, whose compound is near the main entrance of Pasab. | The attackers proved no match for the troops defending Pasab. The American surveillance around Pasab is extensive — cameras are mounted on masts and attached to balloons suspended hundreds of feet in the air — and American and Afghan soldiers “quickly engaged with the attackers and killed all eight bombers before they could enter the base,” said Mr. Agha, whose compound is near the main entrance of Pasab. |
| Sarwar Khan, who leads the district’s council of elders, said he was sitting in the governor’s compound when he heard the blast, followed by about 15 gunshots. The attack was over so quickly, he said, that he did not realize until later that he was nearly caught in a major assault. | Sarwar Khan, who leads the district’s council of elders, said he was sitting in the governor’s compound when he heard the blast, followed by about 15 gunshots. The attack was over so quickly, he said, that he did not realize until later that he was nearly caught in a major assault. |
| The Taliban quickly took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties at what Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, an insurgent spokesman, described as a “huge American base.” | The Taliban quickly took responsibility for the attack, claiming to have inflicted heavy casualties at what Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, an insurgent spokesman, described as a “huge American base.” |
| His description of Pasab would have been accurate up until the fall of 2012, when the Americans began quickly paring down the surge forces they had deployed to southern Afghanistan. | His description of Pasab would have been accurate up until the fall of 2012, when the Americans began quickly paring down the surge forces they had deployed to southern Afghanistan. |
| At the height of the surge, from 2010 to 2012, an entire American brigade of roughly 4,500 soldiers was based at Pasab and at dozens of other small combat outposts in Zhare. When the Americans first arrived, the Taliban held sway over much of the district, and attacks on bases were a near daily occurrence. | At the height of the surge, from 2010 to 2012, an entire American brigade of roughly 4,500 soldiers was based at Pasab and at dozens of other small combat outposts in Zhare. When the Americans first arrived, the Taliban held sway over much of the district, and attacks on bases were a near daily occurrence. |
| But in the years since, American and Afghan forces have managed to assert control over the dozens of mud-brick villages that dot the grape and opium fields of the rural district, and Taliban attacks have become less frequent. Even Sangesar, the village where Mullah Muhammad Omar operated a mosque and founded the Taliban, is nominally under government control. | |
| These days, keeping it that way is largely up to Afghan soldiers and police officers, who remain a sizable presence in the district. Only a few hundred American soldiers are still based in Zhare, and most are focused on advising Afghan forces, not fighting the Taliban. | These days, keeping it that way is largely up to Afghan soldiers and police officers, who remain a sizable presence in the district. Only a few hundred American soldiers are still based in Zhare, and most are focused on advising Afghan forces, not fighting the Taliban. |