In the Latest Attack in Afghanistan, Nine American Soldiers Were Killed - 2002-03-05

In the latest attack in Afghanistan, nine American soldiers have been killed, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Previously, the Pentagon had stated that during a fierce battle between U.S.-led anti-terrorism forces in eastern Afghanistan, two American helicopters were shot down by Al-Qaeda terrorists and remnants of the Taliban, resulting in the deaths of seven American soldiers. Yesterday evening, an American helicopter crashed due to enemy fire in the south of Gardez city, killing at least six of its occupants. The details of this incident are still unclear as to whether the helicopter occupants were killed in the crash or later shot by enemy fire. In another report, one soldier was killed due to an emergency landing and a severe impact of a helicopter in the same area, but the helicopter took off again. An unspecified number of American soldiers were also injured in this incident. The American helicopters were supporting ground forces against the positions of Al-Qaeda and Taliban remnants in the south of Gardez city. The U.S. Secretary of Defense stated that the war zone contains positions of seven groups of Al-Qaeda and Taliban members and deep bunkers, and the enemy is resisting fiercely; however, U.S. forces will remain on the front line until the enemy is either destroyed or surrenders. Additionally, American warplanes have been engaged in destroying enemy positions in that area since an attack that began on Friday evening. U.S. forces faced heavy resistance in the battles on Saturday, which resulted in the confirmed deaths of one American soldier and three Afghan fighters in that preliminary attack. The number of casualties among Al-Qaeda and Taliban forces remains unclear. U.S. officials say that Al-Qaeda and Taliban members have regrouped in the complex caves and tunnels of Paktia province, and according to local Afghan officials, their numbers are in the thousands. This is the largest battle in Afghanistan since the beginning of this year, with one thousand five hundred soldiers from Afghanistan, the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, and Norway participating in this battle.