Suicide Bombers Attack U.S. Base

By Rahim Faiez

Associated Press Writer

August 19, 2008

CBNNews.com - KABUL, Afghanistan - Suicide bombers tried unsuccessfully to storm a U.S. military base near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in a bold attack on a major American installation, officials said Tuesday. Six terrorists detonated their explosives-laden vests after being surrounded.

The attack came a day after a suicide bomb outside the same base killed 10 civilians and wounded 13 others. The fighting was still going on early Tuesday, said U.S. coalition spokesman 1st Lt. Nathan Perry. There have been no American deaths, he said.

Terrorists Fail to Gain Entry

The terrorists failed to gain entry to Camp Salerno in Khost city after launching waves of attacks just before midnight on Monday, said Arsallah Jamal, the governor of Khost. The base is just a few miles from Pakistan's border.

General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman, said Afghan soldiers, aided by U.S. troops, chased and surrounded a group of gunmen and that six of them blew themselves up when cornered. Seven other gunmen died in those explosions and a rolling gun battle, he said.

"[The Afghan National Army] is saying that anytime we get close to them, they detonate themselves," Jamal said.

At least 13 terrorists and two Afghan civilians died in the attack, officials said. Five Afghan soldiers were wounded in the fighting, Azimi said.

Taliban Confirms the Account

Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said 15 men were dispatched for the attack on Salerno.

Seven blew themselves up and eight returned to a Taliban safehouse, he said.

Jamal said the bodies of at least two dead terrorists were outside the checkpoint leading to the base's airport, both of whom had on explosives-laden vests, Jamal said.

It wasn't clear if those terrorists were among the dead in Azimi's count.

Suicide Bombers Target U.S. Bases

Islamic terrorists have long used suicide bombers to target U.S., but coordinated attacks on such a major base are rare.

The attack comes a day after the top U.S. general in the region, Major General Jeffrey J. Schloesser, issued a rare public warning that militants planned to attack civilian, military and government targets during the celebration of Independence Day on Monday.

More than 3,400 people -- mostly terrorists -- have been killed in insurgency-related violence this year, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Western and Afghan officials.

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