Huge blast rocks US base in Afghanistan

[ellenrr]

Source: presstv

A large number of American soldiers have reportedly been killed and wounded in eastern Afghanistan after a powerful blast hit a US military base in the war-torn country.


The incident occurred early Thursday when a truck bomb went off inside the US military base in Gardez city, the capital of Afghanistan's Paktia province, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming hundreds of kilograms of explosives were concealed in the truck.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the huge explosion left a large number of American troops killed and wounded.



Read more: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194440.html

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Added later - sorry - aparently a large number of US soldiers were NOT killed according to other reports.

I am now a little suspect of presstv, altho they did say "reportedly"

[xchrom]

1. ugh. they can seemingly hit where they want.

even with our drones.

[xchrom]

2. if this is the same? the description is a little different.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AFGHANISTAN?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-08-18-05-42-17

Afghan official: 20 people killed by roadside bomb

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A roadside bomb killed at least 20 passengers traveling on a minibus Thursday in western Afghanistan, another example of civilians being caught in the crossfire of the fighting between Taliban insurgents and the U.S.-led coalition.

In the country's east, a suicide car bomber attacked a coalition base Thursday, killing two Afghan security guards, officials said, and the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.

Raouf Ahmadi, a police spokesman for several provinces in western Afghanistan, said the minibus ran over a roadside bomb in Obe district in Herat province, setting off a blast that killed at least 20 of the 25 passengers.

Abdul Bashir, an elder of a village in the district, put the death toll at 23.


2 different attacks -- w/ 1 killing a lot civilians.

[ellenrr]

5. no, the one you are talking about is civilians,

the one I saw on Press tv happened in Gardez City, and was US soldiers being killed.
There are a lot of different reports re the number killed.
And I couldn't find any mainstream report (ie ap etc) altho today the spread of news is practically spontaneous - so I'm still looking.

[KewlKat]

3. Huge Afghan blast kills 27 US soldiers

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194456.html

horrible.........END THE WAR THERE NOW!

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, saying the huge explosion left at least 27 American troops killed and 34 others wounded, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The incident occurred early Thursday when a truck bomb went off inside the US military base in Gardez city, the capital of Afghanistan's Paktia province.

According to the Taliban spokesman, the truck contained hundreds of kilos of explosives.

Witnesses say the explosion was very powerful and a US helicopter was also destroyed in the blast.

[LeighAnn]

8. You mean, "Cut and Run"?

Can it be called "cutting and running" after almost ten years?
:shrug:

Time to admit is WAS another Vietnam, after all

FUCK YOU BUSH AND THE REST OF YOU WARMONGERS!!! There's enough blood to go around all your hands

[Lasher]

16. That's what Saint Ronnie did in Lebanon.

But that was different because Larry Speakes called it a 'redeployment'.

[KewlKat]

4. I find no mention of this on the news channels this morning

Glad to have DU so I know what's going on in the world.

[ellenrr]

6. I know - it's strange - I searched before I posted - do not want to post false info.

[KewlKat]

7. CNN just said no US troop deaths

but 2 afghan guards dead and some injuries.

Here's the link of what I just heard on the TV.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/08/18/afghanistan.attack/index.html?iref=allsearch

A truck bomb ripped through the main security gate of a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least two local guards and injuring nine others, the International Security Assistance Force said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the suicide attack against the base in Gardez, the provincial capital of Paktia province.

In western Afghanistan, 24 people were killed Thursday when a roadside bomb exploded in Herat province. Eleven others were injured.

Many of the victims were on a minibus that hit the bomb, said Noorkhan Nikzad, a local police spokesman.



edited to add CNN link

[ellenrr]

9. well...somebody's wrong here..

I guess US soldiers dead is more dramatic altho Afghan civilians dead is more horrific.

I'll keep following this to see if I should use presstv as a source of news.

[Lasher]

11. More stories starting to come in, confirming no US soldiers killed.

Here's one from MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44185209/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/#.TkzmoF00-Vo

The good news is, you still have time to edit if you wish.

[xchrom]

10. That's 1 of the attacks in the AP story I posted.

The thing is - after 10 years & how much money - the Taliban don't seem on the verge of defeat or anything else.

[ellenrr]

13. Your're right of course. I thot if 27 US soldiers were killed, after the last event of 31 killed, it

might effect the US popular view of the war. Ie bring it home a little bit.

But in the big picture, that doesn't seem such an event. Because it goes on and on.

[florida08]

12. this report says 2 afghan security guards were killed

http://channel6newsonline.com/2011/08/truck-bombing-kills-two-afghan-security-guards-at-u-s-military-base/

Could be that a whole bunch were injured..maybe time will clarify


I think 2 different stories are getting conflated;

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breakingnews/252383/afghan-bombings-kill-25-target-us-base
Afghan bombings kill 25, target base

Bomb attacks killed 25 people in Afghanistan on Thursday, ripping through a minibus packed with civilians and targeting a US-run base in the east bordering Pakistan, officials said...

The Herat explosion followed a suicide car bombing at a US-run base in the eastern province of Paktia, in which two Afghan guards died.

[pam4water]

14. Press TV comes out of Iran. They got more of an agenda than Fox does. I wouldn't trust them

as a source on anything.

[Lasher]

15. I don't like Press TV as a source.

Did you read the comments? People rejoicing at the prospect of US casualties and wishing for more. Disgusting.

Apparently this bogus story is a product of wishful thinking by Press TV staff.

[ellenrr]

17. I disagree that Presstv and Fox can be compared.

If you look at the cnn report it is obvious that Presstv conflates 2 stories about bombs in Afghanistan.
Bad journalism - and yes that makes them not a good source to quote.

As far as an agenda - They are state run tv and the US and Israel have targeted Iran for years and demonized Iran so no wonder they are not exactly big boosters of the US.

[leftynyc]

18. Of course they are the same

A propoganda vehicle that spreads lies - what's the difference?

[bemildred]

19. Presstv is an "unreliable narrator".

Not useless, but it's good to get corroboration elsewhere.