Taliban attack inside Camp Bastion
Added: Originally this post was within another, wider thread on Afghanistan, but now I feel that this audacious attack needs a separate thread as more information trickles out and I have moved previous posts to here.
It has been interesting to read the reporting on this skilful, determined attack; in particular these two explanations:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...-on-earth.html and the incisive Afghan analyst:http://afghanistananalysis.wordpress...-really-about/
This attack is a weird reminder that the original SAS mission was to attack Rommel's airfields in North Africa, approaching from the desert.
Taliban attack inside Camp Bastion
There is something very odd in this official statement by the UK Defence Secretary on the attack IMO - an amateur in a faraway armchair.
I have added the text in italics and the emphasis
Quote:
...securing a base with an area similar to that of Reading, was inevitably a struggle....troops on Friday night had to fight off a significant (fifteen men) Taliban force...Despite its extensive garrison, numerous fences and remote location....People living in several villages and settlement close to the base’s fence line have been told they must move “so that we will have a clearer field of fire,” Mr Hammond said.
Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...m-Taliban.html
Until this attack all the reporting I've seen stressed Camp bastion was selected for being remote from the local population and the terrain enabled clear observations. Now we read of farmers cultivating maize nearby and villages are to be moved.
Not to overlook the Taliban took a video of the base - not the attack - and it is in circulation on the web. The BBC tonight showed a tiny clip of helicopters amidst smoke. The attack was at 2200hrs and so in darkness:
Quote:
..poor visibility wasn’t an issue Friday night. It was a low-light evening with little moonlight, but it isn’t clear if that played a role in the attack.
I note that in the attack:
Quote:
...killed two Marines, including the commanding officer of a Harrier squadron....Virtually all of the Marines working on the flight line at the time responded to the attack
Link:http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news...aliban-091712/