Taliban Attack Repelled

The Taliban have attacked a US patrol base in Afghanistan and suffered heavy casualties:

A group of 75 Taliban militants tried to overrun a U.S.-led coalition base in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday, a rare frontal attack that left more than 20 militants dead, the coalition said in a statement.

The insurgents attacked Firebase Anaconda from three sides, using gunfire, grenades and 107 mm rockets, the coalition said. A joint Afghan-U.S. force repelled the attack with mortars, machine guns and air support.

"Almost two dozen insurgents were confirmed killed in the attack," the statement said. Two girls and two Afghan soldiers were wounded during the fight in Uruzgan province, it said.

A firebase like Anaconda is usually a remote outpost staffed by as few as several dozen soldiers.

"The inability of the insurgent forces to inflict any severe damage on Firebase Anaconda, while being simultaneously decimated in the process, should be a clear indication of the ineffectiveness of their fighters," said Army Capt. Vanessa R. Bowman, a coalition spokeswoman.

Though the Taliban suffered heavy casualties they still got the effect they were looking for, media coverage.  The media coverage has focused less on the fact that the Taliban was easily and soundly crushed in the attack and focused more on the fact that the Taliban attack the base in the first place, which is supposed to be some kind of sign of a resurgent Taliban.  This is just another small part of the information war the Taliban is fighting in Afghanistan that the American media continues to unwittingly aid the Taliban in.