Mountain ambush sprung on troops; 2nd attack foiled

By Jason Straziuso and Amir Shah
ASSOCIATED PRESS

August 20, 2008

Associated Press Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he intends to seek re-election next year.

SUROBI, Afghanistan – Insurgents killed 10 French soldiers in a mountain ambush Monday and then sent a squad of suicide bombers in a failed assault early yesterday on a U.S. base near the border with Pakistan.

Only months ago, militants shied away from large-scale attacks because of the heavy losses they could incur when jet fighters appeared overhead, NATO and U.S. officials said.

But the Taliban and other militant groups appear increasingly willing to commit large numbers of foot soldiers to onslaughts that try to overwhelm small groups of U.S. and NATO troops. Last month, about 200 militants attacked a small U.S. outpost in Afghanistan's eastern mountains, penetrating its perimeter and killing nine U.S. soldiers.

The suicide attack yesterday on Camp Salerno, the U.S. base that serves as the logistics hub for the war's eastern front, began about midnight when a team of attackers dressed in military fatigues was sighted on the horizon.

Afghan and U.S. forces confronted the militants about 1,000 yards from the base entrance, while fighter aircraft attacked from the air. Once surrounded, three suicide bombers blew themselves up and three more were shot to death, NATO said. It said a seventh militant also was killed and two NATO soldiers were wounded.

The French soldiers were on a reconnaissance mission when they were ambushed Monday afternoon by a force of about 100 militants in the mountains of Surobi, an insurgent redoubt 30 miles east of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

U.S. Army deaths Soldiers identified: Pfc. Jonathan L. Luscher, 20, of Scranton, Pa., died Sunday at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam of injuries from a noncombat incident. He was assigned to the Pennsylvania National Guard. Staff Sgt. Kristopher D. Rodgers, 29, of Sturgis, Mich., was killed Saturday in the Korengal Valley when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle. He was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. Two soldiers died Friday in Wardak province when their vehicle struck an explosive device, then was hit by small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire. Killed were 1st Lt. Donald C. Carwile, 29, of Oxford, Va., and Pfc. Paul E. Conlon Jr., 21, of Somerville, Mass. Both were assigned to the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

France's top military official, Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin, said most of the French casualties came in the minutes after the soldiers ascended a mountain pass. Battles ensued, and 21 French soldiers were wounded.

French Defense Minister Herve Morin said about 30 militants were killed and 30 wounded, while Afghan officials said at least 13 militants were killed. Taliban fighters and militants allied to renegade warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar operate in Surobi.

The high casualties prompted French President Nicolas Sarkozy to immediately board a plane for Afghanistan.

The surge in violence is a blow for the Afghan government of President Hamid Karzai, who has struggled to exert control and draw away support from the insurgents.

Karzai told The Associated Press yesterday that he plans to seek re-election next year, saying he needs to do more to pursue his goal of rebuilding Afghanistan into a “peaceful, prosperous country” able to stand on its own.

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