9 US Troops Killed in Taliban Attack

The worst casulty in the Afghanistan war since 2005. I'm blaming this on Pakistan and it's peace deals with terrorists. Reuters

A Taliban attack that killed nine U.S. soldiers, the biggest single American loss in Afghanistan since 2005, was a well-planned, complex assault which briefly breached the defences of an outpost near the Pakistan border.

"The insurgents went into an adjacent village, drove the villagers out, used their homes and a mosque as a base from which to launch the attack and fire on the outpost," said NATO spokesman Mark Laity on Monday.

"Some of the insurgents also then attacked. I think it looks as if they made a brief breach into the base and were repelled," he said.

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The Taliban began their attack just before dawn on Sunday.

After driving back the assault, the defenders, numbering between 100 to 150, called in airstrikes from attack helicopters and warplanes. Fierce fighting went on till mid-afternoon.

Scores of Taliban fighters were either killed or wounded.

"There was very heavy fighting and they suffered very heavy casualties," Laity said.

Tens of Taliban were killed, an Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman said.

There has been a marked increase of violence in Afghanistan this year, especially along the eastern border where militants have effectively secured their rear with de-facto ceasefires with Pakistani forces and launched more attacks into Afghan soil.

The surge in violence is also partly due to the higher numbers of ISAF and Afghan forces establishing footholds in areas, such as the Pech Valley, where they seldom went before.

Afghan officials said on Sunday the Taliban fighters had infiltrated from nearby Pakistan to launch the attack. However, ISAF spokesman Captain Michael Finney said it was unclear whether the militants had crossed the border.