Afghanistan: Taliban suicide bomber kills at least 14, including three US troops

Apparently no one told the Taliban that they were all but defeated. After reaching the milestone of 2,000 U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan, October started out with a bang killing three more U.S. soldiers, among at least 14 killed. The incident occurred in Khost City, Khost Province, in eastern Afghanistan, next to the Pakistani border. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the attack.

A joint patrol of U.S. troops and Afghan National police had just left their vehicle to walk through the market when the blast occurred.

A Taliban suicide bomber on a motorcycle struck the group, which was part of a specialized quick reaction force. According to eye witnesses there was blood on the market road, as soldiers tried to clean up the area after the blast.

“I heard the explosion and came right to this area. I saw the dead bodies of policemen and of civilians right here,” said policeman Hashmat Khan, who ran to the site of the blast from his job as security for a nearby bank.

Coalition spokesman Major Adam Wojack would only confirm that three NATO service members and their translator died in a bombing in the east on Monday, without giving an exact location or the nationalities of the dead. Globe and Mail

On CBS's "60 Minutes" last night, the top U.S. commander, Gen. John Allen, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai adressed the problem of the resurgence of the Taliban and al-Qaida. Al-Qaida operators are apparently in camps in the mountains of eastern Afgahnistan and direct local fighters to carry out these attacks.

Karzai said terrorism has not gone away, it has increased.

Whether or not you give credence to Hamid Karzai, the comment of increased terrorism flies in the face of what the American public has been told by its politicians. After all the diminishing of terror, al-Qaida, and Taliban was the centerpiece of the Afghan strategy and the raison d'etre for the withdrawal.

"Name them al Qaeda, name them Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, name them Haqqani, name them Taliban, whatever. They're still there. And they have the ability to continue 10 years on to come and hurt us and kill your troops and kill our troops, kill our civilians. We must then question how come they've returned?" Karzai said. Allvoices

Unfortunately these incidents occur much too often and there seems to be no end in site.

Allen maintains that Afghan Security Forces are making much of Afghanistan safe, but unfortunately it appears that the hands of the military are tied.

While drone attacks have eliminated some of the top al-Qaida and Taliban leaders in Pakistan, there seems to be no end to replacing them.

The Taliban's strategy seems to be working and has the desired effect. There actions plant seeds of doubt in Afghans, who have the perception that Afghan Security Forces cannot keep them safe. It also plants doubt in the minds of Americans in relation to the continued presence of in the wartorn country.

Again many more civilians were killed in this attack than there were uniformed members. Just one day after the milestone of 2,000 dead has been reached, the number has now risen to 2,003.

Where will it end?

ISAF Casualty Report -

KABUL, Afghanistan (Oct. 1, 2012) — Three International Security Assistance Force servicemembers and an ISAF-contracted interpreter died following a suicide improvised explosive device attack in eastern Afghanistan today.

It is ISAF policy to defer casualty identification procedures to the relevant national authorities.