64 replies to this topic

[gearpig]

Sounds like a coordinated larger scale attack. Will probably be minimally reported due to other events. Two Marines killed, possibly more. At least 16 Taliban killed. Earlier reports said two Harriers were completely destroyed, now they're reporting 5 aircraft. Haven't heard what the others are yet. Sucks.

Quote

Deadly attack on base in Afghanistan destroys five aircraft, damages 3


Published September 15, 2012
| FoxNews.com
Two Marines were killed and several more injured when Afghan militants armed with rocket propelled grenades and small arms breached the perimeter of the main U.S. Marine base in southern Afghanistan, following a rocket and mortar attack on the base that is shared with British forces.
Five aircraft were destroyed and three more damaged during an attack on Camp Bastion/Camp Leatherneck that also killed 16 Taliban, Friday, an International Security Assistance Force's Joint Command spokesman told Fox News.
The base took indirect and small arms fire, causing major damage to buildings, an aircraft hangar.
The attack occurred on the same base where a burning man, largely assumed to be an Afghan suicide bomber targeted the plane of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in March.
The base is a major military facility in the war-ravaged nation's Helmand province.
Britain's Prince Harry is stationed at the base with his Apache helicopter unit. Prince Harry, known to his unit as Captain Wales, recently arrived at Camp Bastion, according to information released last week by Buckingham Palace.
The Taliban issued statements threatening to kidnap or kill the prince.
This facility is often subject to indirect fire, but officials in Afghanistan say the damage that has resulted is far more severe than normal. The attacks came during a period of intense protests and violence elsewhere in the Middle East.
Fox News has learned that the attack by armed militants on the main U.S. Marine base in southern Afghanistan was larger and more sophisticated than first reported.
Since the March attack security at the base was not increased and responsibility for securing the compound was transitioned to joint control with Afghan security forces in spite of a recent spate of “insider attacks” carried out by Afghans who NATO forces had trained or who had permission to be on U.S. bases.

Edited by gearpig, 15 September 2012 - 07:01 PM.

[Bullet]

Think they tried this in an attempt to get Prince Harry?

[Swizzle]

huge ransom if...and ultimate bad, bad ju-ju

[Rainman A-10]

[HeloDude]

Yeah, we're totally winning the war...

[Danny Noonin]

We just need a little more time. We're about to turn the corner.

[C-21.Pilot]

Nope. Once Obama pulls us out of Afghanistan on his pre-positioned timeline will we win the war....

[Ill Destructor]

There is no winning. Period. Britain, Russia, now us. Pulling out of Afghanistan is the right move and the sooner we do it the better. We need to put our egos away and just walk away from this nonsense. It's only winnable if you redefine "winning".

[Rainman A-10]

C-21.Pilot, on 15 September 2012 - 09:30 PM, said:

Nope. Once Obama pulls us out of Afghanistan on his pre-positioned timeline will we win the war....

Hopefully he will try to do it with the same lack of fanfare or recognition for the sacrifice he used sneaking out of Iraq.

[billy pilgrim]

Ha - $1.5T on the "war on terror" between Iraq and Afghanistan that boils down to around $5,000 per US citizen. If you ask me that's $15k well spent for my family who was terrified of a terrorist attack.

[Vertigo]

billy pilgrim, on 15 September 2012 - 11:27 PM, said:

Ha - $1.5T on the "war on terror" between Iraq and Afghanistan that boils down to around $5,000 per US citizen. If you ask me that's $15k well spent for my family who was terrified of a terrorist attack.

How about we mind our own fucking business, save the money, and not have to worry about terrorist attacks?

[DirkDiggler]

ISAF official statement says that 6 AV-8B Harriers were destroyed and a further two heavily damaged. At $24 million apiece, thats $144 million dollars worth of aircraft destroyed by light infantry weapons that cost a couple thousand dollars at most wielded by 15 guys who probably can't read.

[sky_king]

Ill Destructor, on 15 September 2012 - 09:35 PM, said:

There is no winning. Period. Britain, Russia, now us. Pulling out of Afghanistan is the right move and the sooner we do it the better. We need to put our egos away and just walk away from this nonsense. It's only winnable if you redefine "winning".

I learned this when The Princess Bride came out when I was 5. Pretty simple advice really.

[Rainman A-10]

Is anyone other than me surprised something like this hasn't happened sooner and more frequently?

I have always wondered why they haven't gone after our limited and expensive aviation resources and instead focus on stupid random shit like IEDs. I know they are pretty clueless but I would think there would be a couple of smart ones.

The fastest way to get us out of there is to make it seem too expensive to stick around by increasing the burn rate dramatically, no pun intended.

[Vertigo]

Rainman A-10, on 16 September 2012 - 06:41 AM, said:

I have always wondered why they haven't gone after our limited and expensive aviation resources and instead focus on stupid random shit like IEDs. I know they are pretty clueless but I would think there would be a couple of smart ones.

Pictures of coffins coming home has a bigger impact on the American psyche than pictures of hunks of metal on fire. That's why they've focused on IEDs.

[guineapigfury]

I think we've just been lucky until now. With all the IDF that's been aimed at our bases, it's borderline miraculous they've hit as little as they have.

[Rainman A-10]

Vertigo, on 16 September 2012 - 07:43 AM, said:

Pictures of coffins coming home has a bigger impact on the American psyche than pictures of hunks of metal on fire. That's why they've focused on IEDs.

I disagree. I think it used to matter but the effect on the American psyche has dulled but for the immediate families of the casualties.

They focus on IEDs because it is easier than storming the castle.

My point is similar to the comparison someone made a while back in the Craptor thread where four Capts die in off base incidents vs four Capts successfully eject from four F-22s and see which gets more attention from the decision makers.

In any case the party has become lame. Time to come home.

[SuperWSO]

Vertigo, on 15 September 2012 - 11:42 PM, said:

How about we mind our own fucking business, save the money, and not have to worry about terrorist attacks?

Please tell me you aren't saying that we were attacked because we weren't minding our own business. We did not bring this on ourselves. People who died on the USS Cole, In Khobar barracks, and in the first attack on the WTC were not out repressing anyone.

[tac airlifter]

Rainman A-10, on 16 September 2012 - 09:15 AM, said:

I disagree. I think it used to matter but the effect on the American psyche has dulled but for the immediate families of the casualties.

They focus on IEDs because it is easier than storming the castle.

My point is similar to the comparison someone made a while back in the Craptor thread where four Capts die in off base incidents vs four Capts successfully eject from four F-22s and see which gets more attention from the decision makers.

In any case the party has become lame. Time to come home.

Agreed. If there were attacks of this nature every few months for the last decade we would have simply run out of hardware.

[Prosuper]

5 aircraft destroyed, just wondering if they were all cramed together in one hanger or dispersed and the Taliban used accurate fire to plink them off.