Troops Kill 11 Insurgents in Attack on Afghanistan Base

American Forces Press Service

Aug. 30, 2007 - Elements of the 1st Brigade, 205th Afghan National Army Corps, along with coalition forces, repelled a direct attack on Firebase Anaconda in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province today, killing 11 of the attackers. Insurgents attacked the base from multiple directions with 72 mm rockets, small arms and heavy machine gun fire, officials said. Coalition close-air support conducted precision air strikes, successfully destroying the enemy fighters.

This was the fourth attack on Firebase Anaconda this month. An estimated 74 insurgents were killed in the previous attacks on the base.

The recent probing attacks have reinforced credible intelligence gathered by coalition forces of a planned, large-scale attack on Firebase Anaconda, officials said.

"After several failed attempts earlier in the month to attack Firebase Anaconda, with more than 70 dead insurgents to show for their efforts, we thought the Taliban had learned their lesson," said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a Combined Joint Task Force 82 spokeswoman. "This engagement was yet another blow to the al Qaeda and Taliban extremist fighters attempting to operate in Afghanistan."

Two coalition servicemembers were slightly wounded in the engagement. Both have returned to duty, officials said. There were no reports of civilians being injured or killed in the attack.

(From a Combined Joint Task Force 82 news release.)