4 Marines die in Afghanistan; 870 inmates escape (2 separate incidents)

[UpInArms]

Source: Associated Press

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) -- About 870 prisoners escaped during a Taliban bomb and rocket attack on the main prison in southern Afghanistan that knocked down the front gate and demolished a prison floor, Afghan officials said Saturday. And in western Afghanistan on Saturday, a roadside bomb exploded near a U.S. military vehicle, killing four Americans in the deadliest attack against U.S. troops in the country this year, officials said.

The bomb in the western province of Farah targeted Marines helping to train Afghanistan's fledgling police force, said U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. David Johnson. One other Marine was wounded in the attack.

Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment based in Twentynine Palms, California, arrived in Afghanistan earlier this year and were sent to southern and western Afghanistan to train police.

The bombing comes one day after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told his counterparts in Europe that for the first time, the monthly total of American and allied combat deaths in Afghanistan exceeded the toll in Iraq during May.

The four deaths bring to at least 44 the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press count. No more than two U.S. personnel had been killed in any one attack in Afghanistan this year, according to the AP tally.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AFGHANISTAN?SITE=WHIZ&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

---

(emphasis mine)

Mods - I know the prison break has been covered, but the 4 marines part has not been

thanks!

edited to add the story that has been updated below:

Jun 14, 9:20 AM EDT

Bomb kills 4 US troops in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A roadside bomb exploded near a U.S. military vehicle on Saturday, killing four Marines in western Afghanistan in the deadliest attack against U.S. troops in the country this year, officials said.

The bomb in the western province of Farah targeted Marines helping to train Afghanistan's fledgling police force, said U.S. spokesman Lt. Col. David Johnson. One other Marine was wounded in the attack.

Marines from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment based in Twentynine Palms, California, arrived in Afghanistan earlier this year and were sent to southern and western Afghanistan to train police.

"The mission of the 2-7 Marines was to train and advise and mentor the Afghan National Police as part of the overall police reform strategy being employed here," said Johnson. "They're down there dedicating themselves to help create an institution that serves and protects the people of that region."

The bombing comes one day after U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told his counterparts in Europe that for the first time, the monthly total of American and allied combat deaths in Afghanistan exceeded the toll in Iraq during May.

[skooooo]

1. sshhh...we'd rather talk about Timmy nt

[Divine Discontent]

3. meh

this is very sad news.


And will everyone look at that over 800 escaped prisoners - oh the unfortunate ammo that gives the taliban, and the party not in power here about dropping the ball in Afghanistan. That is so many escaped prisoners, you'd think there was really no one around to stop it!

[Joanne98]

2. Is this a secret prison? Not anymore!

[sabra]

4. k & r

[windoe]

5. Remind me what are we doing there, trying to find a dead guy?

What his name bin somebody. Time to get the eff outa there.

[Norrin Radd]

11. Oil pipeline. eom

[swilton]

13. WHY ARE WE THERE?

Of the 19 hijackers, none of them were from Afghanistan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizers_of_the_September_11,_2001_attacks


OK, Let's assume that we needed to capture bin
Laden....Wouldn't this have been just as easy to covertly send
in a special forces team rather than to elevate this into a
full scale war?  

Didn't the Soviets try this (and fail) in the 1980s?



:banghead:
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

[MannyGoldstein]

6. The Terrorists Are Obviously Desperate

Victory is almost ours.

[The_Casual_Observer]

7. Obama is posturing to fight this one out.

Maybe he'll wise-up.

[lovuian]

8. They are not enough prisons to hold them

Our Prisons are full even here at home our Prisons are brimming full

[orleans]

9. 870 escape? oops.... n/t

[thewiseguy]

10. What a huge blow.

[acmavm]

12. The tone of these articles just makes it seem like these poor guys are

expendable:

<snip>

The four deaths bring to at least 44 the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan this year, according to an Associated Press count. No more than two U.S. personnel had been killed in any one attack in Afghanistan this year, according to the AP tally.

<snip>

Yes, they're saying that more personnel were killed this time than is ordinary. BUT WHAT THE FUCK? Why the hell should any of 'em be dying? We had a chance at the very beginning to do something (I'll be damned if I know what) with this country. It's a lost cause, and its been a lost cause since the oil boys sent the troops into Iraq to clear the way so they could do some serious pillaging and plundering.

[ohio2007]

15. More than 1,500 people have been killed in insurgency related violence in Afghanistan so far this ye

Most of the deaths are by the hands of the Taliban . So far 108 NATO deaths.



94 Taliban insurgents killed
Kabul, June 21 (Xinhua) At least 94 Taliban insurgents have been killed in a major offensive launched by the Afghan troops backed by international security forces in Afghanistan's restive southern province of Kandahar, officials said Saturday.

The operation was launched Wednesday by the Afghan troops backed by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).


snip

http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080621/876/twl-94-taliban-insurgents-killed_1.html


For some reason, this site doesn't track the Afghan civilian deaths or the Taliban's "martyrs" that gave up their lives so that others may die;
http://icasualties.org/OEF/DeathsByYear.aspx

They just post news stories and NATO counts
http://icasualties.org/oef/

If this was like Viet Nam, a monthly body count would be released for the #'s reported KIA on both sides but I didn't look very hard for such a site tracking Civilian,NATO, Taliban war related deaths.

[Stuart G]

14. K and R