Afghanistan

[hunter1]

U.S. Ditches Isolated Afghan Outpost

(AP) U.S. forces have withdrawn from an isolated base in eastern Afghanistan that insurgents attacked last week in one of the deadliest battles of the war for U.S. troops, the NATO-led coalition said Friday.

The pullout from the Kamdesh outpost near the Pakistani border is likely to embolden insurgent fighters in the region. The Taliban swiftly claimed "victory" for forcing the coalition to leave and said they had raised their flag above the town.

The withdrawal, however, had been planned well before the Oct. 3 battle and is part of a wider strategy outlined by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who has said for months he plans to shut down such isolated strongholds to focus on more heavily populated areas in an effort to protect civilians.

Quelle: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/09/world/main5373801.shtml">http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/ ... 3801.shtml</a><!-- m -->

Ergänzend noch zum Gefecht in Wanat; die Taliban können einen Sieg verbuchen, obwohl der amerikanische Abzug schon vorher beschlossene Sache war. Bei der Geschichte frage ich mich, wie das wohl rausgekommen wäre, wenn die Taliban moderne Manpads zur Verfügung gehabt hätten. Imho haben diesmal Apaches, die ca. 1h nach Gefechtsbeginn eingriffen, den Angriff zurückgeschlagen.