US base in Nuristan, Afghanistan attacked

August 9, 2006 According to reports citing U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan, an insurgent attack on the base at Kamdesh in Nuristan Province was successfully repelled, leaving dead approximately half of the 30 insurgents who attacked the base.

Early Wednesday morning, the Kamdesh Provincial Reconstruction Team base was attacked from three directions by an estimated 30 insurgents with RPGs and small arms. The base, which houses hundreds of soldiers, returned fire with mortars and small arms. The base called for air support and jets dropped four 500-pound bombs, effectively ending the battle.

Lt. Joel Rees said "This is the first large, coordinated attack on our base since we arrived three weeks ago". He continued "When light broke, we found large crater holes from the RPG attack throughout the base and several tents had bullet holes." Maj. Tom Sutton described the two-hour battle as the most ferocious he had seen in the area.

According to the U.S. military, two of their soldiers and one Afghan policeman sustained minor injuries. They were treated at the scene and returned to duty.

The attackers are suspected to be Hezbi Islami, a militant group/political party that is said to have allied with Mullah Omar and the remnant Taliban.

Nuristan is one of the most remote regions of Afghanistan, located on the southern slopes of the Hindu Kush mountains in the northeastern part of the country. Nuristan's security situation is so poor that no NGOs operate there. The base is part of the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.