Taliban can't count; claim they killed 5200 NATO troops

That's what happens when all you learn is the quran. AP

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban has long exaggerated its military successes, but its recent claim that it killed more than 5,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan last year may be the militia's most startling yet.

The Taliban said last week on its Web site that it killed 5,220 U.S. and NATO troops in 2008 — an exaggerated figure nearly 20 times the official death toll.

The insurgents also said they downed 31 aircraft last year. Its fighters destroyed 2,818 NATO and Afghan vehicles and killed 7,552 Afghan soldiers and police, according to a statement from a spokesman.

The true damage inflicted on U.S. and NATO fighters over the last year has been "repeatedly hidden by the enemy and they have controlled the media by using money, power and their lies," the statement said.