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Taliban attack NATO airbase in Afghanistan
Kabul : Afghanistan | Dec 02, 2012 at 2:56 PM PST
By StephenManual
The Taliban attacked a NATO airfield in eastern Afghanistan early Sunday, killing four Afghan guards and at least four civilians. All nine insurgents were also killed in the fight.
The Taliban detonated three car bombs near entrance to the airfield and also engaged in a two-hour gun battle with the security forces. The civilians were killed as the vehicle they were traveling in was caught in the crossfire.
The assailants had disguised themselves in coalition military uniforms and attempted to enter the airfield, known as Forward Operating Base Fenty.
The attack is a potent reminder of Taliban’s determination to continue the fight.
Amid the scary developments, the US plans to pull out troops from Afghanistan at the end of 2014. The US-led coalition forces have been imparting training to Afghan security forces. However, the increasing number of attacks on NATO troops and military bases leaves a question mark on the capability of Afghan security forces to defeat the Taliban after the withdrawal of international troops from the country.
What’s more worrisome is the fact that a number of attacks on international troops have also been carried out by Afghan troops. Although a number of insider attacks have also been claimed by the Taliban, who claim to have infiltrated ranks of Afghan forces, most of this kind of attacks have been carried out by Afghan troops, largely owing to cultural differences and animosity they harbor against foreign troops. In their backdoor conversations with journalists and human rights activists, a number of Afghan troops have said that it is a matter of routine for the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan to kill people without any justification