U.S., Afghan Troops Killed and Wounded in Attack
March 02, 2002 02:34 PM ET
By Charles AldingerWASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least one U.S. service member and two Afghan troops were killed and others wounded on Saturday in a major attack on al Qaeda and Taliban forces south of Gardez in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.
The casualties occurred as hundreds of Afghan troops backed by U.S. and other coalition ground forces and heavy American bombing moved against regrouping al Qaeda guerrillas of fugitive Osama bin Laden and Taliban fighters in Paktia Province.
In the provincial capital of Gardez, troops back from the front said the outnumbered Afghan forces had been beaten back in an attack on several thousand al Qaeda and Taliban.
"U.S., coalition and Afghan forces have sustained casualties," the U.S. Central Command said in a release from its headquarters in Tampa, Florida.
"Initial reports are that one U.S. service member and two Afghan forces have been killed. an unspecified number of U.S. and Afghan forces have been injured," said the command, which is responsible for the American war in Afghanistan sparked by the Sept. 11 attacks on America.
The fierce fighting, which started on Friday night and continued into Saturday night, was shaping up as one of the biggest battles between the two sides since Taliban and al Qaeda forces were routed by U.S.-led attacks in December.
LONG, FIERCE BATTLE
The Central Command release said Afghan and coalition forces began fighting al Qaeda guerrillas and Taliban forces south of Gardez at about 9 p.m. EST Friday, which was early Saturday in Afghanistan.
A number of other countries, including Britain, France, Australia and Canada, also have coalition forces involved in fighting the al Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan.
"This mission involved Afghan and coalition service members, but the main effort is the Afghan forces led by General Zia, General Kamal Khan Zadran and General Zakim Khan," the Central Command said.
Senior Pentagon officials told Reuters in Washington on Friday that the United States had been collecting intelligence on regrouping al Qaeda and Taliban in the area for some time, but that it would be up to Army Gen. Tommy Franks, head of the Central Command, to order any attack.
Near Gardez, Afghan soldiers said they feared some of their units might have been cut off or surrounded in the battle about 20 miles east of Gardez near the Pakistan border.
"Some people think there are 3,000 fighters against us. Some think 5,000," one soldier said.
Bombing continued at nightfall on Saturday and a Reuters television cameraman saw flashes and loud explosions from B-52 bombing strikes. At least two big U.S. Chinook military helicopters headed out of the battle area in the mountain village of Shahi Ko in Arma district.