At least 14 dead in Kabul suicide attack

[jakeXT]

Source: AFP

At least 14 people, including foreign forces, were killed when a Taliban car bomber struck a US-run NATO convoy travelling through the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday.

The attacker detonated his Toyota Sedan car at 11:20 am (0650 GMT) in the southwest of the city, and the area was now blocked by Afghan and international forces, said police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai.

At least ten foreign forces, three civilians and a policeman were among the casualties.

"The attack targeted an American NATO bus," said a Western military official on condition of anonymity. "There are 10 or 11 people, mostly Americans," he said, giving the death toll.

Read more: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/least-10-nato-troops-dead-kabul-attack-091027872.html

[unhappycamper]

1. 13 Americans Said to Be Among Killed in Kabul Attack

Source: NY Times

13 Americans Said to Be Among Killed in Kabul Attack
By ROD NORDLAND and SHARIFULLAH SAHAK
Published: October 29, 2011

KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 13 American soldiers were among more than 20 people killed when a Taliban suicide car bomber attacked an armored NATO shuttle bus in Kabul on Saturday, a Western military official confirmed.

It was the worst loss of life among American troops in the capital in several years.

The attack on the bus, known as a Rhino because of its heavy armor, took place in front of the American University on a route often traveled by military trainers from NATO bases in downtown Kabul to the Kabul Military Training Center. At least eight civilians were reported among the dead, including three Afghan police officers and two children.

~snip~

A Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, claimed responsibility, saying that a suicide bomber named Abdul Rahman Hazarbos drove a truck with 1,500 pounds of explosives into a bus carrying foreign military trainers, killing all aboard. He claimed 25 NATO soldiers were killed in all.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/30/world/asia/deadly-attack-strikes-nato-bus-in-kabul.html

[xchrom]

2. a sad and angry recommend. nt

[tawadi]

3. Senseless

:(

[Solly Mack]

4. k/r

[Ilsa]

5. Time to leave.

I'm so glad my friend's son got home from Kabul this week.

[Octafish]

6. For oil.

And the people who make money off it.

Oh! And empire.

[lonestarnot]

11. And war on Pakistan. Strategic geography for more oil.

Bushitlers!

[cosmicone]

20. Pakistan has no oil and is a chronically terrorist state. n/t

[lonestarnot]

21. They do have nukes and can be used to bolster the scarey tactic.

Merikans are motivated quite easily with "scare."

[cosmicone]

22. They have no delivery system to use the nukes

and they have only two nukes, provided by China. I doubt the Chinese masters would let their pets use the nukes.

[TwilightGardener]

7. Awful.

[lonestarnot]

8. When are we going to get the fuck out of that waste of resources?

[bemildred]

9. US report says security improved in Afghanistan

Note: :sarcasm: intended.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite improvements to security in Afghanistan, militants operating from safe havens in Pakistan and chronic problems with the Kabul government pose significant risks to a "durable, stable Afghanistan," according to a Pentagon progress report released Friday.

More than a decade since the Sept. 11 terror attacks against the U.S. and the start of the Afghan war, the U.S. and its allies have reversed violent trends in much of the country and the transition to Afghans taking charge of security has begun in seven key areas, including major cities such as Kabul and Herat.

"Security gains during (the past six months) have provided a firm foundation for the transition of security responsibilities to the Afghan government" and its security forces, the report said.

However, cross-border attacks have increased in recent months due to insurgents' safe havens in Pakistan and the support they received from within its borders.

"The insurgency remains resilient and, enabled by Pakistani safe havens, continues to contest" Afghan security forces throughout the country, especially in the east, according to the semi-annual report sent to Congress.

http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/US-report-says-security-improved-in-Afghanistan-2241088.php

[expatriate2mex]

15. If anyone thinks WE have not become the party of war they are delusinal.nt

[Beacool]

10. 13 young people dead (they are usually so young).

Over what, pray tell?

My heart breaks........

:cry:

[SwissTony]

12. Plus 3 Aussies and an interpreter

<http://www.theage.com.au/national/three-diggers-shot-dead-20111030-1mpy6.html>

Seven Aussies wounded.

What a tragic waste.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[frylock]

13. gotta stay the course

[No Elephants]

26. Or, stay the surge. Either way....

[Poll_Blind]

14. STOP THE WARS! nt

PB

[jakeXT]

16. NATO said five of its service members and eight civilian contractors working for the coalition died

Attack on NATO convoy kills 17 in Afghanistan


KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into an armored NATO bus Saturday on a busy thoroughfare in Kabul, killing 17 people, including a dozen Americans, in the deadliest strike against the U.S.-led coalition in the Afghan capital since the war began.

The blast occurred on the same day that a man wearing an Afghan army uniform killed three coalition troops, who were reportedly Australian, in the south - attacks that show the resiliency of the insurgency and are likely to raise new doubts about the unpopular 10-year-old war and the Western strategy of trying to talk peace with the Taliban.

A spokesman for the fundamentalist Islamic movement, which was ousted in the 2001 invasion for its affiliation with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying the bomber had used 1,540 pounds (700 kilograms) of explosives.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AFGHANISTAN?SITE=MTMIS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-10-29-14-20-16

[cosmicone]

18. level pakistani military and ISI and

there will be no more taliban.

Taliban is just Pakistan jockeying for position to contol Afghanistan. There never was any Taliban until Pakistanis created it and there never will be after Pakistani military is severely weakened.

All it will take is a ten day air campaignto destoy Pakistani military and we can bring everyone home.

[Poll_Blind]

19. That's a pretty psychotic sentiment, especially considering their nuclear capabilities. nt

PB

[cosmicone]

23. Pakistan's nuclear capabilities have been exaggerated

greatly .... just like Saddam's WMDs.

Pakistani nuke program is controlled by the Chinese.

[No Elephants]

25. So, according to you, then, there's no reason that we can't slaughter the entire military and ISI.

[cosmicone]

27. I wouldn't use the word "slaughter"

Slaughter denotes a defenseless and innocent creature killed for the needs or wants of a more powerful one. Pakistani military is neither innocent nor defenseless. They have been waging a proxy war against us for the past 10 years and probably laughing daily as to how they hoodwinked us into funding our own enemy.

If they were really that powerful, Musharraf wouldn't have caved in and accepted every demand made of him by Richard Armitage. Today, Pakistan is a lot weaker than it was in 2001 due to floods, earthquakes and political instability. Time to strike is now. It is the only way to end the Afghan war and prevent atrocities on Afghani women and children.

[Nihil]

28. That's a pretty psychotic poster but apparently *some* threats of violence are A-OK ... (n/t)

:shrug:

[No Elephants]

24. The last to die in that part of the world, I hope.

Afghanistan's was supposed to merit our invasion and occupation because it was harboring Bin Laden.

We chased Bin Laden out of Afghanistan and changed the government. What's been our excuse since then?

Winning hearts and minds?

Obviously, we either don't know how to succeed at that, or chose not to.

Let's get the hell out.

No bs about how long it takes to get out, either, please

If it's okay to leave crap for which we paid much too much behind in Iraq, it's equally okay in Afghanistan, too.

I can't imagine we had more in Afghanistan than we had in Halliburtonstan Iraq.