DEADLY FORCE: Before dawn last Sunday, Taliban forces launched a two-pronged attack on a NATO base near the village of Wanat in the Kunar province. Nine U.S. troops were killed in the deadliest fighting in Afghanistan since June 2005 when rebels destroyed a helicopter carrying 16 soldiers.

Members of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF, the official name of NATO's mission in Afghanistan), had been at the outpost for only three days and were still building the base when the attack happened. Wednesday the ISAF announced it was removing the outpost, but would maintain a strong presence in the area. Because of their proximity to the Pakistan border, the provinces of Nuristan and Kunar are vulnerable to incursions by the Taliban.

Sophistication, Size of Taliban Attack Surprises Wanat Outpost

The Taliban don't ordinarily attack defended positions, preferring instead to use suicide bombers and roadside bombs to inflict the most damage with the least amount of exposure.

By all accounts, however, this attack was particularly well planned and caught the ISAF and the ANSF completely by surprise. Here are the stats from the attack:

This attack marks the first time the Taliban breached one of the three dozen outposts in the region:

• Several Taliban made it inside the base perimeter before being killed.
• Americans were forced to call in a bomber, attack planes, Apache helicopter gunships and a remotely-piloted Predator.

Increased Fighting Raises Concern about NATO Coalition Presence

Clashes with the Taliban are clearly on the rise in Afghanistan:

• up 40% in June 2008 over June 2007
• increased 50% from May to June 2008
• occurred 314 times in June 2008
• resulted in 27 U.S. casualties in June 2008, compared to 29 U.S. casualties in Iraq during the same month

Although dozens of the insurgents were killed in the attack in Wanat, local officials claim the Taliban couldn't have been so successful without help from local residents.

No civilians in Wanat were killed, because the Taliban had warned them of the attack and told them to leave. Gen. Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh, the provincial police chief, said while 20 families had left, others stayed behind "and helped the insurgents during the fight." (Associated Press, 7/15/08)

Afghan official also said that an air strike by coalition aircraft less than two weeks ago killed 15 civilians. "This made the people angry," said Tamim Nuristani, the former Nuristan governor. "It was the same area. The air strikes happened maybe one kilometer away from the base." (International Herald Tribune, 7/16/08)

NATO Will Continue Patrolling Region to Ferret out Insurgents

Even though NATO fatalities in Afghanistan surpassed those in Iraq during June, the ISAF has no intention of leaving the region and will continue regular patrols around Wanat.

"The citizens in Wanat and northern Kunar province can be assured that ISAF and ANSF are going to continue with a strong presence in the area," said ISAF spokesman Capt. Mike Finney in a NATO press release. "We are committed, now more than ever, to establishing a secure environment that will allow even greater opportunities for development and a stronger Afghan governmental influence." (NATO, 7/16/08)

The United States intends to increase its forces in Afghanistan with the soldiers it pulls out of Iraq.

Copyright © 2010 Informify

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